The Addition Into The Circle
by Amann0407
Summary: Set 5 years after the end of Golden Dawn, Amann of the Alesian Empire is transported to the Babylon 5 Universe. Chaos ensures.
1. And So It Begins

**The Addition to the Circle**

**Chapter 1: And So It Begins**

_It has been 5 years since the defeat and death of Janus the Deciever by the hands of Amann Adar of the Alesian Empire. Since the victory of the Avalon Alliance over the forces of the evil Janus, the military alliance has become something even more than its founders originally intended. Calls for a intergalactic government have been answered, with economic, political, and military ties being built among the major powers that are the Asgard Empire, the Alesian Empire, the Tok'ra Republic, the Tauri Alliance, the Free Jaffa Nation, and the remnents of the last of the Goa'uld Empire under Lord Yu. Together, these powers have come together and have gathered several dozen minor powers in their respective regions to also sign into the budding Avalon Confederacy. But it would be several more years before the official birth of such a Confederacy due to the details and squabbles among the great powers, as well as among the several minor powers in the various galaxies under the influence of the proposed Confederacy. The great leaders and heroes of the Avalon Alliance are busy spending their time to develop it and make sure it is able to work to its ultimate conclusion._

In the Pegasus Galaxy...

Amann stood on the bridge of the reconstructed Alesian Empire Ship _Angelan._ A improved version of the original _Angelan_, it had far more weapons and armaments than its predecessor did and it was currently traveling with its escort fleet of 20 ships towards it's destination. Amann paced the bridge as General Ayen walked in with a report.

"Councilor, we are almost to the coordinates that you indicated. But it is a nebula. There is nothing there."

Amann stopped pacing and turned to regard the general. Ayen was unimposing for a man of his skill and status. A brown haired man of average height, he was nevertheless a hero of the Empire and a man of great personal courage and leadership. Amann even considered him a brother of sorts, since it was Ayen who had always helped and stood by him in his darkest hours. It was with respect he spoke to the general.

"I know that General. This mission I have come on is of great importance to the infant Avalon Confederacy. We must have the cooperation of who I am to see if this alliance is to succeed. We cannot establish the Confederacy in Pegasus Galaxy unless we have their cooperation or we smash them into dust. I rather take a diplomatic route in this case, since I do not blame their mistrust of our people nor of the Confederacy. It is why I have come personally."

Ayen nodded stiffly.

"I understand that, but who do you refer to?"

Amann smiled.

"I refer to the Asurans of course. They are only a few worlds, but they have some of our people's technology. We Alesians could grind their fledging nation to dust, but I rather not do that. They once hated Lanteans and we must be sure to not seem like Lanteans to them."

Ayen was surprised.

"But councilor.....they are replicators! Surely you remember the replicators that took the Dakara weapon to wipe out! It would be madness to deal with them! It would be far safer to destroy them now!"

Amann shook his head.

"I will reserve that option. It is why this nebula will be the rally point. I have instructed over 300 warships of the upgraded Alesian Fleet to come to this place and wait for my signal. The Asurans have been in contact with me and are amiable, but they request to see me alone. They said they will not like an Alesian fleet over their homeworld. Which is understandable. I will travel to Asuras by jumper and be in contact with the fleet here. If I do not return in 3 days, you have authorization to interpret that I am dead or otherwise unable to respond. You then will attack and destroy the Asurans if that is the case. The Asurans know this and they will be deterred from harming me. They will hear us out. At the very least, I can probably ensure neutrality. But I think I can bring them in on the Confederacy."

Amann walked to one of the two bridge exits.

"Come General. Walk with me."

He guided past the reinforced security booth where 4 Legionnaires were at terminals monitoring the internal defenses of the Alesian warship. Internal security had been tightened as a result of the Alesian/Chiyou war. Amann walked past the automated plasma turrets that overlooked the bridge entrances and walked along the halls, General Ayen beside him as they chatted idly about their families. Finally they reached the fighter bay where hundreds of fighters were lined up, with drone racks nearby and technicians and pilots talking and arguing among the clatter and noise that came with a figher bay prepping for a possible war.

Amann stopped as an enlarged jumper stood on an isolated pad. It was a flagship jumper, a new addition to the Alesian fleet. Being twice as long as a normal jumper and utilizing many improved systems over the original jumper design. It was equipped with more powerful defense shields, a hyperdrive, 4 pulse cannons, 72 drones, and a single Alesian beam cannon. In addition, the Tok'ra republic installed 2 of the Protoss cannons on the side of the jumper as well. It was part of a technology sharing between the two powers as an act of friendship between Amann and ChiYou. It also contained a massive Alesian database system, a NABIS artificial Intelligence unit, vastly improved sensor systems, an Asgard beam system that also were able to replicate any form of matter, and also contained a small bed for long distance journey's. It was perfect for its new mission, guiding important ambassador's and leaders long distances without the need of a powerful warship, where it might be needed elsewhere or be counterproductive for an ambassador's mission.

Amann walked around it and patted it.

"I always wanted to give this new toy a try."

He walked inside to see a dark haired female legionnaire standing inside the door.

"Legate Renate, how nice to see you! It has been too long! How is she? The ship I mean."

Renate grinned, her blue eyes locking with Amann's.

"She flies like a beauty, Councilor! Great hyperdrive system, though not intergalactic like our warships, but certainly doable for a galaxy spanning distance."

Amann smirked.

"I take it you like the new toy."

Renate grinned.

"Yes indeed I do."

Amann smiled back with a predatory grin.

"Can I play?"

Renate laughed.

"Of course you can, but if you break it, you buy it."

Amann laughed as he stepped inside.

"Comforts of home all in this little ship.....how nice. I shall have to buy one of these for my own personal use!"

Renate and Ayen laughed. It was Ayen who spoke.

"It is entirely yours. It was going to be used as part of the fleet, but I suppose since I am the Commander of the Legions, I can gift this to my own leader. There you go, Councilor."

Ayen's voice grew in a half mocking tone of a father speaking to a son.

"Take her out and be home in time for dinner. No scratches on the paint and no dents or I think Renate and I will skin you alive. Do not be out later than 8."

Amann booed and half waved Ayen away with a grin.

"Nice impression Ayen, but you watch too many Earth comedies. Funny though. I promise I won't dent her too bad."

Amann grinned as he hit the door and it shut with a clang. Amann activated the controls and started to fly out after getting clearance from the _AES Angelan_ to depart. Amann smirked as he hit the control for the hyperdrive and it activated. He leaned back and relaxed.

"NABIS, how long till we get to Asuras?"

A hologram of a young woman appeared.

"The trip will take approximately 30 minutes. I could give you an exact figure, but I know that will annoy you."

Amann nodded lazily.

"Yeah, it does. I...."

NABIS interrupted with a smirk.

"32 minutes and 24 seconds."

Amann simply glared.

"Has Renate been putting you up to this?"

NABIS responded back innocently.

"Why Councilor? I have no idea of what you are talking about."

Amann grumbled.

"You spend too much time with Renate."

NABIS replied smugly.

"I actually spend time in every outpost, ship, government building, and base of the Alesian Empire, as you are aware, High Councilor."

Amann grumbled.

"I knew it was a bad idea to make you a smart AI. Better to have made you a dumb AI that wasn't a wiseass."

NABIS grinned wider.

"Earth terminology. It is technically 'smartass'."

Amann simply put his head into his hands. The 30 minutes could not come fast enough. Suddenly the craft lurched as Amann looked up in alarm.

"Report."

"Unknown. We are still in hyperspace, but I am detecting unknown energy readings."

Amann turned around to face NABIS, but was alarmed to see a small child standing there behind the holographic AI. The child had rainbow hair and Amann could not tell if it was a boy or girl, but the child felt oddly familiar to him. Amann frowned at it. It did not read like a child as he mentally scanned it. This child had far more power than the small form would suggest. He spoke finally.

"Who.....what are you?"

The child laughed.

"This will be fun!"

There was a flash of blinding white light as Amann blinked in surprise.

--

Amann continued to fly to Asuras with no knowledge of what just happened. As far as he knew, nothing uneventful happened. All was well.

--

_In an unknown location..._

Amann groaned as he raised his head up from where he fell unconscious against the console. He rubbed his head and frowned. Most of the lights were dimmed in the cabin, with only some of the basic controls lit up. It appeared to be in dormant mode, usually when the passenger was sleeping. He called out rather hazily.

"Lights....Tactical display online....where is the pain relievers?"

The lights flew on as the tactical display screens lit up. Amann closed his eyes and groaned faintly. He had a massive headache for some reason.

"NABIS, where are we? What just happened?"

NABIS appeared to him.

"Unknown, but we have experienced temporal and quantum fluctuations. From the available data, it appears we are in an alternate reality in a different time period."

Amann groaned.

"Great. Alternate universe. That child thing finds this amusing I suppose. NABIS, perform a short range and a long range scan."

"Yes Councilor. Performing short range scan. We are in a planetary system of 2 rocky planets and a gass giant. Little atmosphere on both planets. No lifesigns and no environment to support life. System is a binary star system with two normal stars with a yellow light spectrum. The gas giant is several times the mass of the 2 smaller rocky planets and is composed of methane and helium."

Amann nodded.

"So basically nothing of value here. What of long range scans?"

"We are in the Milky Way Galaxy, but it has several differences than the galactic map in Alesian records. Several gravity signatures are missing, including those of Alesia and Dakara. Planetary and star alignment, even compensating for possible stellar drift, feature a 22.4% difference than our own reality."

Amann nodded.

"Ok, so we are in a very different reality. Any idea what year it might be?"

"Unknown, I cannot determine that for sure, all my sensors can tell me is that we have time traveled. We could be in the past or the future."

Amann growled.

"Great, more mysteries. Perform scans on nearby systems. This system is worthless. We need to scout other star systems for any sign of intelligent life."

NABIS nodded.

"Scanning. There are 7 systems in a 20 light year radius. Strange anomoly detected from one of the systems. It appears to be a hyperspace window opening and closing. Strange.....a beacon is emitting a constant signal. Usually that means a hyperspace beacon is tagged along a ship, but this beacon is still. Unusual. Also detecting high levels of Quantium-40."

Amann was surprised.

"That stuff is more potent than the most enriched weapons grade Naquadah. Hit with the right weapon, it could explode in your face. Dangerous to use. I think this system merits investigation. Set a course for it. I am curious as to what is going on there."

"Yes Councilor."

_A minute later..._

The jumper exited hyperspace in the star system marked by the regular hyperspace windows. Amann immediately ordered a short range scan. A minute later NABIS replied.

"Scan complete. Singular star system. 4 planets and 2 asteroid belts detected. One planet is a rock. Unremarkable properties. Second planet is similiar. The third planet is a rocky planet with energy signs from the planet. Unknown origin. Detecting temporal anomoly within 1,000,000 kilometers. Also detecting 2 orbiting structures over second planet. One is an O'Neill class space station. Primative design and armaments. 250,000 + lifesigns detected, mostly human, but several alien species detected. Second orbiting structure is the origin of the hyperspace windows and the source of the Quantium-40. It appears to be a jumpgate of some sort. Temporal disturbance is disrupting more detail scans. We will have to get closer. 4th planet is a rock uninhabitable to humans."

Amann leaned back.

"I see.....Microjump into orbit of the planet that holds the space station and the jumpgate. But cloak the jumper first. I do not want to give away our position until I know more."

"Yes High Councilor."

The Jumper activated a hyperspace window and jumped, heading for the space station. The place: Babylon 5.

--

_On Babylon 5..._

Ivanova strode into CNC, looking tired and grumpy as usual. She sipped her cup of coffee and frowned. Michael Garibaldi was bent over her controls. She called out.

"Mr. Garibaldi! You are at my station, using my equipment!"

She strode over to him.

"Is there a reason for this? Or to save time should I just snap your hands off at the wrist?"

Garibaldi winked slightly.

"Nothing important. Was checking the records to see if a shipment had arrived yet. It was supposed to be due yesterday."

Ivanova raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You came all the way from the security office to check on this shipment? Why do I find that hard to believe?"

Garibaldi jerked his head slightly.

"Ok ok, you got me. I was checking on the shipment of spices and stuff I was getting from home, but I really came up to talk with Captain Sheriden. He needs an update on station security, particuarly after President Santiago's assassination some weeks ago."

"Santiago's death.....well, he isn't in yet. He doesn't report in here until 0900. Means you got about an hour."

Garibaldi grumbled.

"Late riser."

Suddenly the console beeped in alarm. Ivanova leaned over and frowned.

"Sensors detect some form of hyperspace window. Small reading, but the power from it is far more than our own hyperspace windows. There it goes again! What the hell? But there is no ship detected. Not even a visual sighting. That is odd."

Garibaldi frowned.

"I will alert the captain. That is strange."

Ivanova cursed.

"Great, this is gonna make my day. I hate mysteries...."

Garibaldi smirked as he walked out.

"I love them."

--

_Outside the station..._

Amann raised an eyebrow at the gigantic space station.

"Impressive....Start scans. I want to find out all there is about this space station."

"Scanning. Reading radio and primative subspace broadcasts. Mostly in English. Judging from the broadcasts, the humans on this station are from Earth."

Amann mused.

"Can you remotely hack their systems? I need more information."

"With little difficulty. Initiate?"

Amann nodded.

"Yes. Do it without alarming them. Download information to my terminal. I will read up on what we have."

After a few moments NABIS spoke.

"Download complete. This system is called Epsilon Eridani. The name of the station is Babylon 5, a station under the control of the earth military, called Earth Force by the humans. This is apparently neutral spaces for the various alien governments that have sent ambassadors here. The station also serves as a place of commerce."

Amann thought hard.

"Interesting."

NABIS interrupted in alarm.

"Ship detected in the section known as cargo bay 13 on the space station. Level 32 civilization technology. Identified as belonging to a race called the Vorlons. Advanced biotechnology. Warning! All civilizations Level 30 and above must be reported to the Alesian High Council!"

Amann grumbled.

"Yeah, hard to do at the though, but it will be one of the many things looked into. I think I might visit this station. Undercover as one of the humans. I take it civilians are permitted on the station."

NABIS replied.

"In most sections of the station they are permitted. I recommend going in as a merchant or a businessman. It will be the simplest cover. I can implant a fake file on you in the station's computer, however if they check with authorities on Earth, the fake will be discovered more than likely. It is best to avoid trouble with station security."

Amann nodded.

"Very good. A file with my real name. A fake name will be too much trouble to remember. Put me as a businessman leading.....Alesian Industries."

He laughed. NABIS chuckled slightly.

"Done. Necessary information is imputted. A copy is up for your review."

"Thanks. I will look at it in a little while. I will require money and clothing. Walking around in Legionnaire armor will attract attention."

NABIS nodded as the asgard replication beam shined for a second. On the seat lay a card. Amann picked it up as NABIS spoke.

"That is a credit "chit" with the sum of 1 million Earth Credits. Also, various clothing is availiable for display."

Amann nodded as he browsed, selecting a black suit with a blue patterned tie.

"I will take that. Replicate 3 sets of this suit and reserve a room under my name at a comfortable hotel."

There was a white flash as the suits appeared. NABIS reported a second later.

"Completed. You are under reservation at the Ritz hotel. It is one of the more high end hotels. It is the logical place for fairly wealthy businessmen."

A beep sounded on the console. NABIS spoke immediately.

"Subspace scan detected from the planet. Unknown origin, suspected to be deep underground. Cloak is functional, we are undetected."

Amann nodded.

"Good. Monitor the scans of whatever that is. Now, where is the best place to beam in?"

NABIS spoke quickly.

"Beaming technology is virtually unheard of here. Beaming into a crowded place would attract attention, far more than what you want. I would recommend beaming into a deserted section of the station. Scans indicate the best place would be in the "Brown Sector". It is a undeveloped part of the station with a high crime rate and most of the station's poor are housed there. There are deserted sections, but caution is recommended."

Amann nodded as he started to undo his armor.

"Good. Prepare list of locations to beam into. I will be getting changed."

Amann started to undress and put on one of the black suits. After a few moments, he adjusted his tie and looked into a holographic representation.

"Very sharp. This might be fun, as that freak child thing said."

NABIS spoke.

"Will you require Earth style firearms?"

Amann shook his head as he pocketed the credit chit and a replicated Identicard.

"No. A weapon would attract too much attention. If I get in any real trouble, my powers will suffice. After all, I could rip apart this whole station with a mind burst. I can handle whatever comes my way."

NABIS nodded.

"Very well, High Councilor. Best beam in site is in Brown 43. It is fairly close to a transport tube. Take that to get to Red 5. That will be the Zocalo, a central market place. Pass through that to get to Red 6, where the Ritz is. You can check in at the front desk."

Amann sighed sarcastically.

"Yes mother.....I know what to do."

NABIS smirked slightly.

"Good. What are my instructions?"

Amann pocketed the remote device that will allow him to communicate with the jumper and if needed, to beam him back out.

"Your instructions are to survey the system for incoming and outgoing ships and site any unusual activity. Monitor all transmissions as well and record them. I will view them later."

NABIS nodded.

"It will be done. Beaming now."

Amann put on a sober face as he was beamed into Brown 43.


	2. Welcome to Babylon 5!

**Addition Into the Circle**

**Chapter 2: Welcome to Babylon 5**

Ivanova was checking the availiable data on the 2 hyperspace windows that had opened when an alarm sounded off. Ivanova walked over and checked it. She tapped her link.

"Ivanova to Garibaldi."

A voice sounded.

"Garibaldi here."

"I am reading a high level energy burst in Brown 43! Massive energy readings! Wait.....its gone now....I would like you to send a security detail down there to investigate."

Garibaldi nodded.

"Very well. I will send 2 officers to check it out."

Ivanova linked out and went back to her terminal. Things were strange around here, even stranger than normal.

--

_In Brown 43..._

There was a flash of white light as Amann beamed into an empty corridor. He straightened the black suit and adjusted his tie. He smirked as he remembered one of the imported Earth movies.

"The name is Adar. Amann Adar."

Amann grinned as he started walking along. He was smiling until NABIS chirped in from his communicator.

"Bad news, Councilor. They detected your beam in and have sent security. Lay low."

Amann nodded and flattened himself against the wall of an adjacent corridor. Two security officers with scanners came by, their gray uniforms easily seen in the dim brown light. Amann's black suit blended in fairly well against the dim light. He let them pass for a few moments and then walked quickly, guided every now and again by NABIS as he weaved through the corridors. Little did he notice, but his progress was monitored. Two guys nodded to each other and silently began to follow him. Amann rounded a corner to find 4 guys in front of him holding metal bars. The lead guy was bald and all of his men were wearing leather jackets. Amann frowned.

"What is this?"

The bald guy sneered.

"This is my territory, and here you are trespassing on my part of Down Below. If you want to come down here, you gotta pay."

Amann raised an eyebrow.

"Pay? I could say the same thing about you. Impeding me has its own payment that must be extracted. Now I will leave."

Amann turned to find the two guys that followed him blocking his way as well. The bald guy sneered.

"You are going nowhere."

Amann turned to face him.

"So I am to enjoy your company I take it? But you know what, something in the air stinks."

The bald guy glared in anger.

"That was a bad move. All you had to do was give us everything on you. You still will, it just will hurt alot more."

Amann snickered.

"I don't doubt it will hurt, for you."

The men all rushed him as Amann ducked underneath a swing, his fist colliding with the bald guy's rib cage. There was a sickening crack as the man grunted and collapsed unconcious. Amann then darted out of the way of a wild swing and struck out, punching the man in the jaw and shattering it with a bone sickening crack. The man fell howling. Amann jumped back a few feet and concentrated with his mind, glowing blue for a second as a telekinetic wave shot out, throwing the remaining men into the wall unconcious. Amann brushed his suit off again and examined the scene. Everyone was down and unconcious. The men he hit would require medical attention, but that was not his concern. Amann shrugged and walked away quickly, heading for the transport tube. It was only until he entered the tube that Amann breathed with relief. A voice spoke out.

"Level?"

Amann called out to the ceiling.

"Red 5! Zocalo!"

The transport tube shot up, heading to the Zocalo as Amann calmed down from the adreneline.

--

Kosh Naranek was in his quarters musing when he felt the telekinetic burst. The sheer power of the blast shook him. His eye gazed upward toward the ceiling, thinking hard. Someone else had entered the circle and the Vorlons would need to know who it is. The newcomer must be confirmed as an ally or be made to not interfere with the upcoming war with the Shadows. Kosh mulled over it, resolute on investigating this new power that threatened the balance.

--

Talia Winters was in her quarters putting away some clothes. She smiled slightly as she removed her gloves and started to undress. Suddenly she clapped her hands to her head as the telekinetic burst radiated. She gasped in shock, instantly recognizing what it was. Someone was on board Babylon 5, a powerful telepath and a telekinetic. A Psi Corp operative? Or a rogue? Whoever it was felt human enough. She breathed in and out slowly, not sure on what to do. Maybe it was best to forward a message to the Psi Corp asking about this disturbance. Perhaps they knew what was going on. She nodded in thought. Yes. Send a message in the morning. That was the best thing to do. She finally undressed and donned a nightdress, slipping underneath the covers and falling asleep quickly.

--

_In the transport tube..._

The doors slid open with a hiss as Amann walked out, mildly surprised as the site that greeted him. The zocalo was one long corridor that housed shops and businesses. Merchants were selling their wares. If Amann didn't know better, he would suppose he was in an industrial market place, not a space station. Amann walked slowly, taking in the sights. A voice echoed throughout the station.

"Welcome to Babylon 5. If there is anything you may require, you can access any terminal to find information on lodgings, restaurants, shopping, or any other need you may require."

Amann walked along as he headed to Red 6, where the Ritz Hotel was supposely located. Finally he located the hotel and walked inside the small reception room. A smiling lady was sitting behind the counter as he walked up.

"Hello, My name is Amann Adar. I believe you have a reservation for me?"

The lady checked her computer.

"Indeed we do, Mr. Adar. Room 6. It is down the hall. Here is your key. That will come down to a thousand credits."

Amann fumbled in his pocket and held out the credit chit.

"Thank you, Miss....I would also like a bottle of the finest Vodka you have. I do not mind the cost."

The lady blushed.

"The best one is about 200 credits per bottle. It is very expensive, but it is good."

Amann nodded.

"Yes. I will take that. Charge it please."

He left a 100 credit tip with the clerk and walked off, taking a brochure of the hotel's services with him. He mused as he read it. It seemed a great many things were expensive here to obtain from Earth. He could make a tidy profit by replicating the most expensive items and selling it on the market. The cost of replicating it would be minimal and the benefit great. He smirked as the thought, but then it dropped. What was he doing? His priority was to get home, not to make money or an Empire here. He had an Empire at home that needed him.

Amann shrugged as he entered his room and he looked around. It was rather small, but it had a mini kitchen area and a small sitting room, as well as a bedroom. It was comfortable, if not small. He sighed and laid down on the bed. It was a tiring day. Suddenly he bolted upright, sensing a presence in the room. He saw the child that was on his jumper standing inside the door looking at Amann with a smirk.

"This is fun!"

Amann growled.

"Whoever you are, you trapped me here and I do not appreciate it. Who are you anyway?"

"I am the Void Keeper. Have fun and goodbye!"

The Void Keeper shimmered as Amann stood up cursing. Finally he sat back down and fell asleep quickly. It was early, but he would rise up early as well. Tommorow was a new day.

--

_Brown 43, a few hours later..._

Garibaldi walked down where his second Zack Allen waited for him.

"What do you have, Zack?"

"Well Chief, we got 6 people unconcious. Looks like they tried to hold someone up and they got their butt handed to them."

Garibaldi frowned as he looked at the bald headed guy.

"Yeah, I recognize him. Tom Forrester. Guy robs people in Down Below, nasty thug. His little gang are not particularly selective about their victims either. Glad to see them down for a while. Take all of them to MedLab, but I will want security officers on them. I want to question who did this to them as soon as they wake. And I will press charges on the known criminals. There are several here that are wanted."

Zack chuckled.

"Yeah, whoever did this was a real pro. I don't even know how the other 4 guys were downed. Tom here had his rib cage shattered. That guy, who we have not identified yet, had his jaw broken. The rest appeared to have been slammed into the wall, but I don't see any marks on them that indicate they were grabbed. Perhaps I missed something."

Garibaldi nodded.

"Well I should probably file a report on this. Did the security detail find out anything about that energy burst that was read by CNC earlier?"

Zack shook his head.

"No Chief. Nothing."

Garibaldi frowned.

"That is strange."


	3. Of Psi Cops and Men

**The Addition Into The Circle**

**Chapter 3: Of Psi Cops and Men**

Talia awoke with a start, perspiring heavily. The computer spoke.

"The time is 5:25 am. There is a meeting with the FutureCorp representative at 9 am. There is also a...."

Talia spoke.

"Yes....thank you."

The computer fell silent as Talia got up and began to dress. It only took a few moments before she had her clothes on. Talia shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the dream she had last night. Visions of fire and death. She got a glass of water and drank it, and then walked to the computer terminal. She had to report that telekinetic burst.

"Computer, establish communication channel to Psi Corps Headquarters."

"Comm channel established."

The face of Alfred Bester appeared on the screen.

"Miss Winters, a pleasure to see you again. What can I do for you?"

Talia waited a moment before she replied.

"I am calling because I felt something last night, but was not sure of what I felt. But before I tell you what I felt, I must ask if there are any operatives onboard Babylon 5."

Bester frowned.

"Not to my knowledge, Miss Winters. We do not have any operatives aboard Babylon 5. Not since the Ironheart incident."

"Well....I felt a powerful telekinetic burst. It felt human. For a moment, it felt much like Jason Ironheart's power, but this was still different. Yet it was human."

"I see....this requires investigation. A telekinetic is, for the most part, unstable and highly dangerous. I am going to drop my routine duties and arrive in a few days. Tell no one of this."

Talia was uncomfortable as she spoke.

"Should not Captain Sheriden be informed? A telekinetic as powerful as I felt could be a huge danger to the station. They will not be happy about this."

Bester smiled slightly.

"Mundanes get too worked up over telepaths. We will handle it. I will inform him myself when I arrive."

The channel went blank and the Babcom logo appeared. Talia put on her gloves and walked out feeling uneasy.

--

_In Red 6..._

Amann was sleeping in the hotel room, still in his business suit. He had fallen asleep quickly the night before, with no time to undress. He stirred slightly and sat up with a groan. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. He frowned as he sensed another presence in the room and turned his head. A child. A strange child was sitting at the table across the small hotel room. All rooms were small on this station, but the child had such presence that it almost felt as if the room would burst. Amann recognized it as the child that was on his jumper and who paid him a visit the night before. He stood up and walked over with a growl.

"Ok kid. I've had enough of the games. I know you are not an ordinary child. I can sense that much. Why am I here?"

"For fun!"

Amann glared.

"For fun? Explain."

The child laughed.

"You are here for my fun! For my amusement!"

Amann was not amused.

"I am not a damn labrat for your amusement. Return me to where I belong. Now."

The child's face hardened, and Amann felt fear. It terrified him. A sort of basic fear crept up from every corner of his body.

"You... A pitiful group of atoms such as you... think to demand anything from me?"

Amann blinked slightly, taken offbalance by the child thing. The thing had more power than he thought. Vast reserves of power he could not begin to comprehend.

"What the hell? What are you?"

"I am the Void Keeper! Know you place, plaything!"

Then the child smiled again, and happiness filled Amann's soul.

"I am Void Keeper..."

Amann was not fooled. He knew the child was manipulating his emotions. It was a simple matter to do with neural chemicals.

"Void Keeper? Never heard of you."

"Hmmm... You think this feeling in you is but a result of physical manipulation? Look deeper... and understand the scale of things."

Amann frowned. It appeared Void Keeper was right, but how he did it mystified him. Even ascendents didn't have this kind of power.

The Void Keeper chuckled.

"I am Void Keeper. I guard all of Existence from the Void. I am that divides all that is from all that is not. I have been here since before the creation of this universe and other countless universes. I have seen infinite number of universes being created and destroyed. I have seen all the universes and all their past, present, future and all their alternatives. I am the Scale, upon which the balance of good and evil is measured. I am the time before time, time after time, and time itself. I am space, both infinite and non-existent. I am that separates zero from one."

Void Keeper paused.

"Now, do you understand the magnitude of your purpose? You would serve as a toy for my benefit. You should feel honored."

Amann swallowed in pride and anger. He waited a moment before he spoke.

"And what is it that I am here for? I assume it is not for idle recreation."

"No... there are things I have set in motion, and things that has originiated from this universe... I am sure you will find your place... Although I think you should think more carefully about your Alteran cousins' philosophy of non-inteference by the elder races over the younger... You will know this soon enough."

Amann frowned.

"I see. So I am to assume there is some sort of challenge I will face. From what I have seen so far of this universe, it is fairly primative in technology, even for the more powerful races here."

Void Keeper chuckled in amusement.

"Let's just say that the technology is not the issue. The real challenge will be hidden, and he will come after you. We shall see if you are really up for facing a God."

Amann smiled cruelly.

"I have destroyed so called Gods in my day. I did slay Janus and the rest of the Ori. We also destroyed the Goa'uld, what is left of them is a small empire that is becoming a democracy much like the Free Jaffa Nation."

Void Keeper laughed in amusement.

"This will be different, your enemy will be more powerful. He will be a God in every sense of the word. But enough about that, you have a little while. I suggest you prepare for him, and simply enjoy yourself. You are going to be here a while."

Void Keeper smirked as he faded away. Amann looked rather annoyed.

"Hmph."

Amann thought for a while. He would have to prepare for this new enemy, a supposed God. He would need power, an army. But how to get one? Amann mused. He was resourceful, which will come in handy. Use what you had and get more with it. He had technology unparalleled in this reality, he had a million Earth credits. He was intelligent and had diplomatic experience. He could be charismatic. And then he had his mental talents, which will prove useful. Amann grinned as he reached for his jumper control and pocketed it. Yes, there was a way to get what he needed. It was rather simple. He walked out of the hotel room and it locked behind him. He passed by the female clerk that was on duty, she smiled at him. He unconsciously smiled back. She was a pretty one, with her dark hair and brown eyes. He reached the Zocalo and went to a counter with a bored looking clerk.

"Greetings. I would like to know if there is any vacant spaces availiable for a shop. My name is Amann Adar, CEO of Alesian Industries."

The clerk looked up.

"Rent is expensive on Babylon 5. We have several spaces availiable, but it will cost money for the more space you will have."

Amann nodded.

"I have the credits. I could purchase the space rather than rent it."

The clerk looked at Amann like he was crazy.

"Rent is expensive, but to buy a property costs a ton of money. It would be alot for even the smallest..."

Amann cut him off.

"I have the credits. Let me see the spaces availiable."

The clerk looked at him as he handed over a computer spec of the availiable spaces. Amann pondered the various choices before selecting one.

"This space, A3. I will purchase it."

The clerk looked at him stunned.

"But that is a large space. That is nearly a thousand square feet! Its enough for a small house!"

Amann smiled.

"My goods will be numerous and I intend to bring in alot of profits. The price?"

The clerk cleared his throat.

"250,000 credits!"

Amann raised an eyebrow.

"Sold."

He handed over his credit chit, which the clerk ran through. He half expected it to be declined, but the credits went through as Amann smiled. His credit chit was returned to him with a flourish.

"Space A3 is yours. You will have to read many guidelines and sign some paperwork."

Amann nodded.

"Very well. Have it sent to my room. I am staying at the Ritz under the name Amann Adar. Room 6."

The clerk nodded and Amann walked away with the key to the space. A3 was marked on the large space as Amann lifted the grate up and walked inside. It was empty and bare, but it would be easy to redesign the store. A voice chirped wryly.

"I would not presume to dictate what you do with your money, Councilor, but why did you purchase a store space on Babylon 5?"

Amann grinned.

"It is simple NABIS. What Void Keeper told me, and I know you were listening, is that there is some enemy out there that will clash with me. I intend to be ready and I have some time before he appears. I will need an army, and how do I get an army? The best way is to become an economic powerhouse. I will do that by being a businessman here of the newly formed Alesian Industries. I will be able to fund, replicate, and build my own armies and even a fleet given some time. But I will have to start small. This place puts 200 credits on a bottle of vodka. If we sell items of value here, we can take over this place's economy by storm. We replicate items with little cost and we sell it for less than everyone else. I will make lots of money, which we can then fund for other facilities and business areas. We will have power, influence, and technological monopolies in this galaxy within a few years."

NABIS nodded.

"I will have to start replicating some parts for the Asgard synthesizer beam. It will be fairly complex and will take a day or so to make. Plus beaming things into the shop you are setting up will set off the sensor alarms."

Amann nodded.

"I will require a device that masks energy bursts in the shop. There is a small backroom to this shop. I will place the jammer and the Asgard beam generator in there. Beam in the device when and where I ask you to and I will set it up. You can then beam in the completed generator tommorow. Beam the jammer to.....Brown 2 in 15 minutes. I will head down there now, collect it, and return here."

Amann walked out and headed for the nearest transport tube. He called out.

"Brown 2!"

--

_In MedLab..._

Dr. Franklin was examining the men that were brought in from Brown Sector. The two severely injured men would require more hospital time, but the other men were relatively fine, but were not permitted to leave. Garibaldi's instructions to the 2 guards were clear. Franklin was checking the vitals of one of the men that were slammed into the wall when Garibaldi walked in.

"Hey doc. How is the patient?"

"He seems to be fine, just some bruising from where he hit the wall. The curious thing is there is no indication he was grabbed and thrown."

Garibaldi frowned.

"Strange. I will speak to him. He will need to answer questions."

Franklin nodded and walked away as Garibaldi turned to the thug. The man crossed his arms and glared icily at the security chief. Garibaldi spoke.

"I have some questions for you. Who did this to you?"

The man remained silent, glaring in hostility. Garibaldi nodded and looked at him coolly.

"Right. Look, you can spend time in a cell for attempted robbery or you can answer my questions. Your choice."

The man spoke angrily.

"I know nothing."

Garibaldi shrugged indifferently.

"Very well. Time in a cell then. Security!"

He gestured to the nearby guard, who made to go for the man. The man struggled, attempting to punch the guard. Garibaldi moved suddenly and grabbed the man by the front, slamming him on the bed.

"Don't even think about it. I have had enough crap with your kind today. You can walk out of here, if only you answer my questions. You are not on any wanted list, and your crime was foiled."

"Fine fine! Let me go! We tried to rob some rich looking cat and he slammed us into the wall without his hands! Happy?"

Garibaldi was surprised.

"What do you mean, slammed you into a wall without his hands?"

"It was wierd! We tried to grab him, next thing I know I remember him glowing and us flying into the wall. That is all I know!"

Garibaldi looked at the man.

"I will need details. A description of the man for instance?"

"Dark haired, pale, wearing a suit. That is all I remember. The light wasn't good."

Garibaldi nodded.

"Very well. Get out of here. But I catch you robbing anyone else, I will come down hard on you and anyone in your band."

The man glared at the security chief then left. Garibaldi turned to the guard.

"When the rest of these men come around, put them in the cells. I will be in my office."

"Yes sir."

--

Amann walked down to Brown 2 and found an empty hallway.

"Commence beam."

The corridor flashed white as a small device was beamed in. It was round shaped and was about the size of a hand. Amann picked it up and pocketed it before leaving the area. He knew security will be all over it. He would head back to the shop and begin to set up his operations.


	4. Arrival

**Addition Into the Circle**

**Chapter 4: Arrival**

_Two days later..._

Talia Winters was waiting in the de-embarkation terminal, looking around nervously. She adjusted her gloves and made sure her Psi Corps pin was straightened. A voice spoke behind her.

"No need to look so nervous, Miss Winters."

Talia turned around to face the unsmiling face of Alfred Bester. A small man, he barely matched Talia's height, but she knew his telepathic powers were among the most powerful in Psi Corps. The Psi Corps must really be desperate to catch a powerful telekinetic if they sent him and the 6 Psi Cops behind him as well. She knew them by name, but only knew them by reputation. They were all noted for being ruthless in hunting down rogues. She spoke rather nervously.

"Yes, I suppose so."

Bester gestured for her to walk beside him as the other Psi Cops began to walk away, they had to perform reconnaissance on Babylon 5. They didn't expect to turn up anything with a first sweep, but one never knew. Talia was about to speak, but Bester interrupted her before she did.

"No, Miss Winters. We might want to do undercover at a later date, but we want an overt presence for now. If the need comes to do undercover, we can do so by departing and then returning in civilian clothing. We want our rogue to feel insecure, to make mistakes. He or she either want to get off Babylon 5, in which case we will catch the rogue due to our placing Psi Corp Operatives at all of the departure gates. Or he will lie low and be nervous, and it will be easy to tell with our operatives roaming the station. The 6 Psi Cops I brought with me will flush the rogue out, and our bloodhound units are at the exits. We will find him or her."

Talia cleared her throat nervously.

"I assume Captain Sheriden will be informed?"

Bester nodded with a slight smile.

"Yes....we will let him know. We will need also a list of the security files from Mr. Garibaldi anyway to help narrow it down. Take me to Captain Sheriden."

--

_In Red 5..._

Amann was smirking as he was getting ready to open his new shop. Earlier that day, he hired a promising looking employee who had an excellent record of customer service. A young man of 30, he said his name was Robert Scott, but Amann suspected he was hiding something. It would be rude to scan him and find out, but he knew the man was hiding something. He shrugged. It was none of his concern. As long as he did good work and was nice to the customers behind the counter, he didn't care about the man's background unless he was a murderer or something, which he doubted. This was something else hidden. Amann walked from behind the counter to open the door and nodded slightly.

"Ready Robert? They are lined up at the door outside. They cannot believe any of our goods are half priced! Liquor, various foodstuffs, other drinks that are too easy to spoil. Fresh orange juice, not the canned stuff they ship here! They will buy out my store within the week, and this is a huge store!"

Robert nodded.

"Yes....it seems that way, Mr. Adar. How do you do it?"

Amann smiled as he unlocked the door.

"That is only for me to know. Just stay out of the backroom. Only I am allowed in there and it would be unwise for you to try to get in. It has security features. Sensitive information and materials are in there. If you need goods, I will go in the backroom and get it."

The man nodded. It was a strange instruction, but he didn't care. As long as he made money and was able to afford the quarters he was living in. Amann opened the door and called out.

"We are open! Half priced goods here! Come on in! Welcome to Alesian Industries Outlet!"

Amann smiled and nodded as the crowd outside gathered inside and instantly filled up the store. He soberly realized that one clerk was not going to be enough. He frowned as he noticed 2 men in black clothing and gloves walk past. They stopped outside and looked into the store. Amann got a sudden chill. These were not ordinary people. What were they? He walked back to the counter and smiled at the customer at the front, an old lady who was laying down a few hundred credits for her merchandise. Amann smiled.

"One moment ma'am. We will be right with you. I just need to ask my clerk something."

He leaned in and spoke to the clerk so only he could hear him. He turned the clerk so his back was facing the outside.

"Those two guys outside, who are they? They look very ominous."

The man looked outside and paled.

"Psi Cops....."

Amann frowned.

"Psi Cops? What the heck are they?"

"They hunt rogue telepaths. They make you join the Corps, go to jail, or take drugs that inhibit your telepathic abilities. The sleepers make you depressed and suicidal. Oh no....They are here....."

Amann shook his head. It was plainly obvious why the man was scared. He was talking with a telepath.

"Calm down. It was simple enough to know you were hiding something. So you are a rogue telepath.....don't worry, I doubt they are here for you. It is more likely they are here for someone else. I doubt they would send their best Psi Cops out to hunt you, a P5."

The man looked at Amann.

"How did you..."

Amann tapped his head.

"Simple. The Psi Cops hunt some powerful telepath. I can see in their mind. Keep your secret and I will keep mine. Now take the customer's order. I will ensure they stay away from here. I will hire another clerk to help you stem the tide of customers. With 2 clerks, service will be quick!"

Amann patted Robert on the shoulder and walked away. The man was stunned as he continued about, talking with customers and smiling. Inside, Amann was slightly worried. So these clowns appear to be after him. Great. Definately not a good start to a day. What drew them to him? Did some telepath detect his telekinetic burst when he took down those thugs? Was he giving away some sort of signal that indicated there was a telepath among them? He didn't know, but he would sure find out. He looked at the two Psi Cops talking outside and waved his hand slightly. They looked up, slightly surprised but then shrugged it off and decided to move away. Much farther away. Amann grinned. They might be powerful to this race of fledging telepaths, but they were no match for an Alesian ascended with his power. A simple suggestion in the brain told the Psi Cop to go to Brown Sector. Amann sincerely hoped they would get mugged.

--

_In Captain Sheriden's office..._

Captain Sheriden was sorting papers out on his desk, writing down some figures as he worked. As military governor of Babylon 5, he had alot of responsibilities to attend to. Bester and Talia appeared in the door and Sheriden spoke outloud.

"No, I am not really busy at all. I am just..."

Sheriden looked up.

"Stay out of my head!"

Bester smiled slightly.

"Sorry, old habits are hard to break. We talk mentally alot at the Psi Corps. It is very efficient."

Sheriden growled.

"I don't care if it is more efficient. Stay out of my head."

Bester nodded.

"Of course, Captain. I apologize. I do not think we have met before, but my name is Alfred Bester. Psi Cop, rating P12."

Sheriden looked at the Psi Cop. He had no love for the Psi Corps, and least of all the Psi Cops. After all, they represented much of the corruption going on at EarthGov. He spoke neutrally, having recognized the name from the archived files he read when he took over Babylon 5.

"What brings you to Babylon 5, Mr. Bester?"

Bester smiled.

"I am here on a matter of utmost importance. We believe there is a powerful rogue telepath on Babylon 5 and we are here to track him or her down."

Sheriden frowned.

"How do you know this telepath is here? Surely you do not have operatives on my station?"

Bester shook his head.

"No captain. Nothing like that. We have operatives now on Babylon 5, since we believe this particular telepath to be extremely dangerous. But it was Miss Winters who sensed this telepath. For this is no ordinary telepath. She sensed a telekinetic burst, a powerful one. This is extremely rare and such a person would be a threat to the station unless we.....deal with it."

Sheriden tapped his desk with his fingers as he thought. His face clouded. He did not like the sound of Bester's voice.

"And what would you be doing while here?"

Bester spoke, with no trace of warmth.

"We have to do what we have to, Captain Sheriden. I have 6 other Psi Cops with me right now, and a full platoon of Bloodhound units guarding the exit points from this station. We will be surface scanning people to determine if they can block a scan. They won't even know its being done. If a scan is blocked, that person will be questioned and take a telepathic test to determine if they are a telepath. We reserve the right to do this under Earth Law."

Sheriden growled.

"Very well. But if you turn over this station and find nothing, it will reflect negatively in my report."

Bester smiled.

"No hard feelings, Captain. We will deal with the threat. I will need access to the security files as well."

Sheriden nodded.

"Very well, but Mr. Garibaldi will be meeting with me in 15 minutes. You will have to meet him afterward."

Bester nodded.

"We will need more time to narrow the search down anyway. We will be..."

Bester frowned as he felt a powerful burst of telepathic energy. He could not localize it, but it was powerful. He put a hand to his head.

"The telepath is here.....I felt him or her.....just now."

He looked at Sheriden.

"Excuse me, Captain. I must confer with my collegues. I will keep you informed."

He walked out, slightly disconcerted at the power of the telepath. Such an individual might exceed the P12 level. If that was so, he would need all of the Psi Cops and Bloodhounds he could get to tackle the rogue.

--

_15 minutes later...._

Garibaldi walked into Sheriden's office.

"Yes captain, you sent for me?"

Sheriden looked up.

"I want you to hand over any files Mr. Bester requests. But also keep an eye on him and his goons."

Garibaldi nodded.

"Yeah. Psi Cops and telepaths give me the creeps. Bester is the worst of the lot, I dunno, something is just wrong about them."

"But there is apparently a rogue telepath on board this station, and apparently happens to be a powerful telekinetic. I read the report on Jason Ironheart, I would not want another one of him on this station either."

"Yes sir. Captain."

Garibaldi inclined his head slightly and walked out and headed to his office. He frowned as he saw Bester inside his office.

"Bester, this is my office. In the future, you will wait outside. I do not appreciate it much when people peek into my head or walk into my office without my permission."

Bester looked at him.

"I apologize Mr. Garibaldi, but we have a threat on the loose. I cannot wait forever you know. I would like to go over some of the files.

Garibaldi nodded.

"Right...."

He sat down behind the desk and opened up the files.

"Computer, pull all files on Identicard logs on people coming through the past 48 hours."

"Done, there are 4157 results."

Garibaldi sighed.

"This is going to take a while, shall we begin?"

_Several hours later..._

Garibaldi and Bester were sitting behind the desk discussing the results of another one of the files. Garibaldi speaking rather warily.

"I don't think it is him. He is a regular on the station, runs all sorts of supplies between here and the transfer point off Io. No, your guy is going to have to be low profile. After all, the Psi Corps will be after him and he knows it."

Bester nodded reluctantly.

"Very well."

Just then, Zack Allen walked in and handed a report.

"The report on that failed attempted robbery in Down Below."

Garibaldi nodded.

"Thank you, Zack."

Zack turned to walk about and out the office, but Bester spoke.

"The failed robbery attempt.....the supposed victim threw the men without his hands?"

Garibaldi looked up from his line of thought.

"What? Yeah, apparently that is what one of the men said.....wait that is it.....they ambushed your telekinetic."

Bester nodded. 

"Pale and dark haired, male."

Garibaldi shook his head.

"You just described half of the men on this station. It will take alot more to narrow that down from that vague description."

Bester stood up.

"I would like to talk with the men in custody."

"I can arrange that, but no telepathic scans. Unauthorized scans are forbidden."

Bester smiled.

"Why Mr. Garibaldi, I wouldn't dream of it."


	5. Scent Of The Hounds

**Addition Into The Circle**

**Chapter 5: Scent of the Hounds**

The shop, although only opened merely a couple of hours ago, was booming. The fresh meat in nice plastic packages inside cool fridge, and fresh green vegetables and mountains of potatos were just simply too appealing. Of course, Amann was not privvy to the commodities with brands, so all he could display were merely Ritz crackers, which was almost twenty times the price on Earth, and some rice, which were usually sold in tiny packets in other shops but sold in large bushels in Amann's shop.

Amann was a busy man as he walked about the station, talking with various businessmen and shop owners in an attempt to expand his business. With the profits coming in during the first day and the products out of the back room just seeming to come from nowhere, people were buying items in bulk. Amann was humming and smiling as he finalized the last of the contracts with the businessmen. Tommorrow he would try to buy out the competion on the station in an attempt to get more goods and services to be offered to Babylon 5.

The fact that he made supply contracts with the shop owners, as well as getting the samples of the items they wanted to buy, made things much easier to fabricate. He will soon have to account for new items, but it won't be for another few days, and the date on the contract had considered a normal timetable for transport of goods. He still had three months to bring in the goods. That was enough time to buy a few cargo ships and fill them with products.

Amann decided that he would have to see about purchasing transport ships and start expanding outward into other areas of commerce and business. He knew he had time to do all that he planned, but he preferred to gather as much resources and money as he could. He somberly realized that he was rather happy with the challenges that this universe provided. He reminded himself to thank Void Keeper,

if he ever saw him again.

Amann spend next hour sipping some Tauri coffee, made from the espresso machine in his shop, and planning out his next move. He thought it would be better to have some proper source of his commodities. He could buy other commodities from Earth and the transport cost would be nothing to him, but he knew he could not continue to waste precious energy on making bags of rice for B5 residents.

As he finished his cup of coffee he sighed. He saw a dozen men, all wealthy looking, sipping their own cups of coffee with trembling hands. It would have been some time since they tasted and smelt real coffee, let alone such fine product. The espresso machine was a new one, but to people here, it was a magnificent antique, priceless in auctions. Personally, Amann could care less about the machine. It was the coffee that really mattered. He only brought with him a single pack of coffee beans, sealed in one of those ingenius Tauri 'coffee bean bags'. This particular mix was his favourite, and not something that can really be fabricated. It was more important to Amann than anything in his shop.

Amann had hired a new clerk to help out Robert. Unlike Robert, who was a telepath and could be very very useful, this new clerk was a mere normal human and would be useful as well, but less so. Not that Amann really cared either way. Everyone had their place and he had to decide where to place his assets and people where it mattered.

Amann set his papers down and put them in his briefcase, and stood up, straightening his suit. Robert waved brightly at him, and Amann nodded with a smile to answer back. Robert was a good man, his mind full of honest and a bit of fear of Psi Cops. He was a man worthy enough to serve Amann's cause. Then, Amann turned to go back to his business. Amann wanted to put away his briefcase back in his hotel room and get changed into something more casual. He really wanted to take the tie off.

As he walked away from his shop, his thoughts wondered and reached at the image of that girl... Janice... who was at the hotel desk. She was cute, thought Amann. He didn't think too much on it as he headed for the hotel.

Amann walked into the hotel and walked past the front counter. Janice was there as he walked past. She smiled at him and he smiled back. She was a pretty one, with dark hair and brown eyes. Very nice looking. He headed to his room and opened the door, setting the briefcase down and changing out of his suit. He selected a buttondown shirt and a set of jeans and sneakers from his datapad. A second later they were beamed in. Amann had no fear of stuff being beamed in, because he set up a dampening field on the station's sensors to allow things to be beamed in his room as well without detection. Amann put on his clothes and walked out of his room, heading down the hall and down the stairs.

As Amann walked down the stairs, he saw the daylight cycle, although that really didn't matter on the station, had just begun its mid-day rotation. As he shielded his eyes from a momentary brightness, he saw something that made his breathing stop and his heartbeat just pause, figuratively. The woman, Janice, was sitting in one of the armchairs in the lobby. She waved her head around and her hair, glittering beautifully in the artificial mid-day sun, made her look like an angel. She sipped what appeared to be tea, and was reading some sort of document. Her legs were neatly laid down the armchair and as she moved to adjust her position, her long hair, which was normally in tight bun, flowed down to her waist.

Amann raised an eyebrow slightly. She was cute before, now she was just drop dead gorgeous. He walked over, his footsteps drawing the woman's attention.

"Oh, Mr... Adar. Good afternoon."

As the morning shift assistant manager, she kept a polite, engaging smile all the time. Amann spoke back, greeting her.

"Greetings. I take it you are offshift?"

"Just about. I just need to check this list and that's it for the weekend."

Her voice enticed him. Amann's memory almost made match with Janice's voice and that of his dead wife. Amann decided to just go for it.

"That sounds good. Oh yeah, I was wanting to ask. There is this restaurant up in Red 8 I believe. Called the Fresh Air Restaurant. It is said to be classy and to be the most high end restaurant on station. I would like to go in it, but I prefer to have company."

Janice raised her eyebrows. No one has asked for date with her in such a brazen manner. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Was it a bit insulting to take it as him thinking of her as armcandy or a genuine request for a date at the most expensive restaurant in the station? She paused, narrowed her eyes and questioned him.

"Is this a joke?"

Amann shook his head.

"No, I am afraid it is a genuine request to enjoy some company. I just arrived on station a few days ago and well.....its nice to do some recreation in addition to all of the business I am doing."

Janice raised her eyebrow.

"I am a recreation, am I? Well, good day to you, sir."

She stood up and walked away, feeling a bit insulted. Amann mentally kicked himself. He was married for too long and there weren't much 'human' courtship among the Alesians during the days when he met his wife.

Amann was rather downed by the flat turn down. Sighing, he pondered his options and decided to let it go. Perhaps later he would try again, in a better way. He walked out of the hotel and headed for a transport tube to head back to the shop.

---

Garibaldi and Bester walked along the Zocalo talking about the various suspects they had to look through. Garibaldi was shaking his head.

"There is too many people to look for without further information."

Bester sneered lightly as he raised his finger as if he got a very good idea.

"Mr Garibaldi, if I could possibly..."

"No. Absolutely not."

"Ah... but as you said..."

Garibaldi growled at this point.

"I know that. But we will gather information the right way. No breaking your legal bounds, Bester."

Bester appeared to look rather disappointed, but his sneer didn't go away as they strode down to Red sector.

They were walking through the long length of the Zocalo when they noticed the huge crowd in front of the Alesian Industries outlet. Garibaldi was rather stunned by the large amount of people.

"What the.....hell?"

One of the security team members was walking out from the crowd with his hands full of what appeared to be groceries including lettuce, mushrooms, carrots and tomatos.

Garibaldi recognized the man immediately.

"Jeff, what is going on here? Are those.....fresh groceries?"

"Oh Chief, you would not believe this. There is this shop that sells 'fresh' goods... Beef, pork, chicken, lamb and fresh vegetables... and only around 70% of the price of the crappy stuff we get from the normal cargo runs."

Garibaldi looked at the groceries.

"Wow, get out of here.....I have to see this."

Bester looked at Garibaldi.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking out this awesome shop. It's good that I just got paid... Oh man, I wonder if they sell bacon..."

"Mr Garibaldi! We are in the middle of an important investigation!"

Garibaldi looked at Bester.

"I feel like checking this place out. We aren't going to get anywhere with what we have at the moment. When we have as few clues to go on as we have, we simply wait for more. Your telepath is here, and he will slip up sooner or later and then we can narrow it down alot more."

Bester narrowed his eyes in anger.

"How is you buying bacon going to narrow down this search, Mr Garibaldi?"

Garibaldi looked at Bester and smirked. He loved goading Bester.

"Well for one it will put me in a much better mood. It will counter act the bad taste Psi Cops give off."

Bester really narrowed his eyes, but then did not say anything. As they walked closer to the shop, Bester began to feel something. It was some sort of telepathic barrier. A lingering sense of rejection... against Psi Cops. Bester knew of the telepathic remnant technique and could do it, but only for a few minutes and the effects were weak. This one remnent was not.

Garibaldi walked into the shop and started browsing the shelves, looking like a kid in heaven as he started grabbing items off the shelves and putting them into a basket.

Bester largely ignored the floundering Security Chief, but attempted figure out this telepathic barrier. He now knew that the powerful telepath was linked to this shop somehow. Slowly, Bester followed Garibaldi, only giving the Chief a withering looking once in a while. Garibaldi, meanwhile, was delighted to find really nice bacon, smoked salmon and slabs of really large beef steak.

Meanwhile, Robert was busy with customers as he rang up more and more purchases. In his haste, he did not notice the Psi Cop at all as he took customer and after customer. He was rather stunned by all of the sales.

If Robert was surprised at the sales, Bester was surprised that he could not feel this rogue telepath until he was so close. The telepathic barrier acted as a dampening field as well. Instantly, Bester grabbed Robert by the hands, much to Garibaldi's dismay. Robert stuttered as he tried to pull away.

"Hey! What the...get off me!"

Bester sneered slightly.

"Well, Robert, I am taking you under arrest. You know who I am."

Robert was so terrified of the infamous Psi Cop that his 'fight or flight' reaction just stopped and he froze there. Garibaldi instantly knew what had happened but he only lamented for his bacon that he would probably not get to taste today.

The other clerk continued to work, but the line was unbelievably long and Garibaldi knew he had to follow Bester. He dropped his purchases and ran out of the shop, following Robert and Bester. He caught up with them.

"I take it this is your rogue telepath you were looking for?"

Bester growled.

"I'm afraid not, but this one is a rogue, just not the one we are looking for. Our real objective is much much more powerful. He is powerful enough to leave a dampening telepathic field around the shop, probably for this one."

Robert tried to struggle, but gave up as Bester took out his PPG and pointed it at Robert.

"I would not advise running, Robert. Mr. Garibaldi, I would like this one placed in the brig. I will have bloodhounds guard him until we can arrange transport back to Earth."

Garibaldi reluctantly nodded and called up two security guards to help escorting the prisoner.

---

Amann walked along until he got to the transport tube, his thoughts filled with how to best ask Janice out. He didn't even notice there was someone inside the tube as the doors opened and he walked in. Talia winced as the handsome man just ran into her. He apologised absent-mindedly, his mind obviously somewhere else.

Amann seperated slightly from her and spoke.

"Red 5! Zocalo!"

Amann smiled at the blond woman in a mere human gesture, and began to think to himself, unwittingly opening his thoughts a bit. Talia stood as she waited for her destination. She frowned as a few of his thoughts drifted a bit toward her. They seemed to involve a woman. She shook her head slightly. Amann hummed lightly as he remembered back to his dead wife and all those memories of happiness.

Talia even saw an image of Lucia as he thought about her, his thoughts radiating outward as his mental block dropped. She was intrigued. Almost hopeless to resist, she started to scan into his mind. Amann's memories were vast. His mind, his brain, was powerful. The images flooded her. It was like being dropped in a 10 meter deep pool with weights anchoring her down. She was drowning in the mere images.

Then suddenly, Amann realised that the woman next to him was in pain. It took a moment to realise that she had seen his memories. He grimaced, and he was suddenly angered.

"Who are you? You dare to read my mind?"

His righteous anger began to boil, and much to Talia's horror, psychic lightning began to dance around Amann. Amann instantly closed his mind and he reached into her head with his own power and caused her to collapse. He was angered by her intrusion. Those memories were private, the mere thought of someone intruding into them was repulsive to him. His psychic powers reached out and activated beacon for Security, and he quickly got off on the next stop, not wanting to waste even one moment with that woman.

---

Bester trapped the table with annoyed expression on his face.

"Mr Garibaldi, this is unacceptable. The prisoner must be taken by the Psi Corps."

Garibaldi growled.

"This Robert guy hasn't done anything wrong. He wasn't even the object of your investigation to begin with and yet you want to haul him off. Not good enough Bester."

"I must warn you, Mr Garibaldi, that Psi Corp will not look on this lightly. I will talk with Captain Sheriden for the extradition procedures. Good day!"

Bester snapped as he stood up. Suddenly, some sort of alarm came on one of the consoles on the wall.

Garibaldi looked at it.

"Security to transport tube 3. We have a security alert."

He got up and started for the door. Bester suddenly cringed as a powerful telepathic wave finally reached the Security Office. He winced as the mighty pulse of anger seared through his mind. He suddenly looked up.

"Mr Garibaldi! This is it! That telepath is there! On Transport Tube 3!"

Garibaldi frowned as he voiced over the link.

"Use caution when approaching transport tube 3. Our telepath is there."

Bester ran, trying to keep up with Garibaldi even as he felt the pain of the telepathic pulse ease slightly.

The security team linked in.

"Chief, there is no sign of the telepath, but Miss Winters is in the tube."

Bester cringed. He was not really happy to meet Talia again, especially not after the Jason Ironheart incident.

"Is she... unconscious? I imagine she would be. Such a great telepathic tremor may even have killed her. I... I would suggest taking her to the doctor. I will meet her there."

"She appears to be unconscious, but otherwise uninjured."

A few minutes later, Garibaldi and Bester arrived at the tube where Talia was being put on a stretcher and carried to MedLab. Bester almost fell to his knees as the tube door opened. The sheer remnant of telepathic power was too much. It almost filled him, a powerful telepath in his own right, with that anger of the rogue. Garibaldi looked as Bester noticeably weakened. He didn't care much for the Psi Cop. He ordered security to sweep the area.

"What is it Bester?"

"So much anger, pain... death... It's a remnant of a memory that I cannot read but mixed with such fury that it had left such strong imprint in the very materials of the tube. I... I must speak to Ms Winters..."

Garibaldi nodded.

"Very well, but Dr. Franklin is unlikely to let you. I will be in my office."

--

After the security team had left, there was an eerie silence. No one, not even non-telepaths wanted to go near it. Except for one being. Out of the shadows of the darkened corridor, Kosh slowly glided down toward the tube.

Kosh narrowed his eye as he felt the memory wash over him. He could partially see a face, but it was blurred. He felt love emulating for that face, an anger at it being intruded on, and.....pain at the loss of what he knew to be her death. He was puzzled, and yet he felt he was closer to knowing who this telepath was. Suddenly three images... of Volorns in suits, appeared around him, obviously a hologram of some kind. Kosh spoke first.

"A stone in a pond."

Another Vorlon answered with a puzzled voice.

"Waves in the storm?"

The hologram in the middle spoke gruffly.

"Eel under the mud always muddies the water."

Kosh shook his head as he answered.

"A man with a black umbrella can wear a white coat."

The third Vorlon nodded. The others paused, then nodded. The middle one spoke.

"Some stones are gems and others are just rocks."

Kosh nodded.

"Yes."

The Vorlon holograms disappeared and Kosh turned away, gliding back into the darkness.


	6. One Step Ahead Of The Hounds

**Addition Into the Circle**

**Chapter 6: One Step Ahead of the Hounds**

Amann was walking fast away from the transport tube, shuddering with suppressed anger. He breathed in and out to calm himself down, which he succeeded for the most part. His memories of the good times continued to linger. His heart was throbbing, yet much less so than before. His mind wandered for a moment and his thoughts went to Janice. Smiling at her voice and how she smiled, Amann decided to apologize to her about his abrupt and quite Alesian style of courtship by taking her to dinner and sending her gifts. That's what happened in Earth movies. Yeah, that's right. All women liked that, he thought.

He whistled an Alesian marching tune and walked along to the various shops on Babylon 5. Amann walked into several shops, purchasing a few things that he thought would be nice. He could have fabricated them he supposed, but it didn't feel right doing it that way.

The flowers were particularly disappointing. Making another mental note to add flowers to his list of products, he went in search for a dress and some gift that could appease Janice.

He found the dress, which looked very nice he thought. He also perused the stores, looking for something to appease her.

There were a couple of jewelry shops in the most expensive area but he was rich and could afford things with relative ease. He suddenly saw a magnificent diamond necklace, or at least the holographic image of it. He went into the shop. He saw the price for it in the display case. 50,000 credits. Such things were nowhere near beyond what he could afford. He purchased it and walked out with it in a gift box.

The shopkeeper, who was obviously the owner, came out from the office. He was a plump man, probably Italian descent, but Amann could not know of such things. The shopkeeper smiled widely as he spoke.

"Welcome to Adazio's Jewelry and Gems! How can I help you, sir?"

Amann pointed toward the display case.

"I would like to purchase this necklace."

The man narrowed his eyes.

"The necklace... Ahh... a fine choice, sir. However, may I ask about who this is for? Some people do well with diamonds but there are those like rubies or sapphires. Don't mistake me, the diamonds are better profit for me, but... I want to help my customers be happy with their purchase."

Amann frowned. He really was not interested in the sales pitch. He knew damn well what he wanted.

"No thanks. It is for a potential friend, a date to be precise. I believe the necklace would suit her best."

"Ah, a bit disappointing, but a good purchase nonetheless. The price is 50,000 credits... and the product will be delivered by the next cargo run... which is only 3 months away! Such short delivery timing can only be achieved by Adazio's Jewelry and Gems in the whole of Earth Alliance."

Amann was not happy.

"3 months? You mean to say that the product is not here?"

"Of course not! My humble store cannot guarantee such expensive item here on the station, but with such purchase, I can do you a nice discount of 1000 credits!"

Amann was disgusted.

"I will pass. Good day."

He abruptly left. He was furious, but he was calm on the outside. So he would fabricate the necklace, which was indistinguishable from the real thing since it was merely crystallized carbon. He gathered the dress and flowers under his arm and left for the hotel. As he walked to the hotel he lifted the rose to smell it, and he cringed. He quickly made a mental note to himself about getting some fresh flowers to his next cargo run. The rose didn't smell of rose, but it smelled of preservatives. It was almost toxic.

Amann pondered his options. He could order the jumper to make a quick jump to Earth and beam one up, then jump back quickly. It would take a few minutes and it would be easy for the jumper to evade detection. He sighed. It was better if he just fabricated them all. All he needed was a single rose and that damned necklace. Next time, he would get her the real things. As he walked into the hotel, he found it oddly empty except for one at the counter. Then heard singing from the hotel bar.

Amann paused as he looked into the bar. He was rather stunned. Janice was there in informal clothing, playing a guitar and singing a ballad. He felt numb. His dead wife was a good singer too and her voice was very similar. He made his way to the bar and sat down, dropping his purchases next to him.

He saw two aliens, whom he remembered were Minbari, who were raptly listening. They were stunned too at the beautiful voice and singing.

Lennier and Delenn were listening to the singing. They were appreciative of the young woman at the bar stage. Amann was listening as well, the memories of his wife singing were very strong in his mind. A tear rolled down his cheek. Lennier was surprised at the man who just sat next to him. He suddenly had a tear roll down his cheek, and Lennier could not understand why Amann would cry during this beautiful and pleasant music.

Lennier was a nice person in nature, and took out a handkerchief, something he prepared for the humans and their peculiarities, and handed it to Amann. He asked with curiosity.

"I find this music beautiful and happy. Why do you cry to it, sir?'

Amann took it and wiped his eyes.

"It reminds me of someone, my wife. She passed away some years ago. Her voice is very similar and she sang as well."

"Ah, sadness in humans... Humans are still a difficult species to understand, and I have been around them for a while."

"That they are....."

Amann said in a reviere, not noticing the slip. Lennier noticed but did not say anything. This was spoken in confidence, and he wasn't going to break it.

As Janice launched into a new song, something that attracted people more, Kosh appeared. As if he wasn't caring if anyone saw him, he glided across the bar to where Delenn was sitting. Amann winced as he felt a psychic field that discouraged people from noticing the Vorlon. Delenn turned around at something and found Kosh standing there. Kosh spoke.

"It is time for the flock to aid the shepherd."

Amann was listening in to what the Vorlon was saying, but it confused him as it would most people. What was the Vorlon talking about. His eyes were on Janice, but he couldn't help hearing what the Vorlon said.

Delenn appeared rather confused too, since Vorlons only spoke in riddles.

"I do not understand."

Amann ordered a drink and listened to the song as it was brought to him. He was careful to shield himself from the Vorlon, since he knew Kosh was powerful and there was no need to draw the attention of such a powerful being.

Kosh spoke again.

"A gem hidden in coal, and a surgeon cannot dirty his hands to find it. His children must do the work."

Delenn blinked in surprise.

"You want us to find something?"

"Yes."

Kosh, like always, was not concerned of the understanding of the lesser races. He glided away. Amann just sat there, Kosh's words ringing in his ears until he realized what that meant. Amann sat there and was rather wary as he glanced around in alarm. So the Vorlons were looking for him? Great. Another thing he needed to avoid. He needed to keep a low profile or he would be announcing himself to everyone on the station. So much for low profile. He cursed himself for using his powers as liberally as he had. From now on, normal human profile. He was deep in his thoughts when he heard Lennier's voice.

"Is something wrong? Is my presence discomforting for you?"

Amann looked at Lennier in alarm.

"What? Oh, no. No, just things on my mind."

"I understand if you are uncomfortable sitting next a non-human. There are still those who are angry about the Minbari-Earth War."

Amann blinked at Lennier.

"Uh what? No, I don't feel one way or another about alien species. I'm neutral."

"Interesting. I have rarely seen a human so comfortable with Minbari. I have seen them, as humans say it, 'get along' with other races such as the Centauri, but not with us. Your people call us... umm... 'standoffish', although I could not find that word in your dictionary."

Amann was rather taken aback. He wasn't from Earth either, but he understood the concept of slang or informal words.

"It means cold, not very approachable."

"Ah... I see... Thank you for the explanation. No one offered the explanation before."

"I am surprised no one had. Humans are usually informative when asked politely."

Lennier noticed the small slip again, but did not say anything. In fact, he didn't even know the name of the man.

"Perhaps, but I had no real time to ask anyone of such trivial things. In our culture, we take everything with certain ceremonies, and I was not sure of what ceremony I must do to ask for such things. Oh, I am sorry. I am Lennier, Third Fane of Chudomo."

Amann extended a hand.

"Amann Adar. CEO of Alesian Industries."

Lennier smiled.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Mr Adar."

Amann smiled as he walked out of the bar, and headed to his room. Amann had picked up his purchases as he walked out. As soon as he got to his room, he put them down and started to package them for delivery. He frowned as he thought about how to deliver it. Suddenly it clicked. He smiled slightly and used the comm channel. He would have it delivered by a manager. Amann was disgusted by the flowers and the absence of the necklace and typed in the specifications for both items into the device that communicated with his jumper, including instructions to make a short trip to Earth. A few minutes later, both items were beamed in and Amann proceeded to package both items as well, the necklace going into a gift box and the flowers in a bouquet.

* * *

Delenn had followed Kosh and they met in a secluded area. Kosh turned slowly as he spoke.

"The Circle must not be broken."

Delenn spoke as she gazed at the Vorlon.

"Yes. But what do you seek?"

"A mind is a great thing. It has the power to destroy worlds."

That was so cryptic that not even Delenn could understand.

"A mind? What are you referring to?"

Kosh narrowed his visor.

"A single thought can topple a mountain."

Then a beam shot out from the visor and hit Delenn on the forehead. Information began to flood into her, and after a moment, Delenn knew what he wanted. Kosh sighed as if he was tired.

"Yes."

Delenn looked at Kosh.

"An addition to the circle?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

* * *

_In Medlab..._

Talia blinked her eyes open and she could see Dr Franklin flashing her eyes with his light. Dr. Franklin watched as her pupils dilated.

"How are you feeling?"

Talia put a hand to her head and groaned.

"My head... hurts."

Dr. Franklin stood up slightly.

"Well, I should think so. You have been out nearly 2 days."

"Two days? What? Where... Medlab... I was going to... the meetings..."

Suddenly, a creepy voice, a voice that she hated to hear, was heard.

"Don't worry about that Miss Winters. I have taken care of those."

Talia winced. She felt as if his voice made her head hurt a bit more.

"Bester..."

Dr. Franklin spoke to his patient.

"Easy now. No need to overexert yourself. Bed rest is what you need. I want to keep you here for at least a day under observation."

Bester turned to Dr. Franklin.

"I wish to speak to her immediately, Doctor."

Dr. Franklin looked at Bester. He wasn't fond of Psi Corps or Psi Cops.

"Very well, but only a few moments. She needs rest. I will be back in 10 minutes. I have to see to something."

Dr. Franklin walked away.

Bester walked to Talia's side.

"Miss Winters... What can you tell me of the telepath who did this to you?"

Talia put a hand to her head.

"He was powerful. I looked into his mind for a moment."

"You looked into his mind? What did you see? What secrets did you gleam from him?"

Talia looked at Bester.

"I saw a woman. A dark haired woman. I felt loss and pain in that memory, as well as happiness. But he detected me looking into that memory. He grew angry and I blacked out."

Bester was very curious.

"What did he look like? Did you recognize him? Dio you know his name?"

Talia shuddered.

"I saw his face, but only for a moment. I remember he was dark haired and pale."

Bester pondered that.

"That describes a lot of people... Hmmm... I know that you have endured much, but if you would 'show' me this face... I am sure you are strong enough for that, Miss Winters."

Talia nodded.

"Ok.....I will show you."

She opened her mind to Bester. Bester raised a hand and entered her mind. Bester looked in, his mind delving deep into the memory and finally to the moment. He marked the face of a handsome human male and Bester felt the immense anger that almost dislodged him from Talia's mind. After a moment, Bester shook his head and disconnected.

"Thank you, Miss Winters. I am sure that your contribution will not go unnoticed."

Talia nodded and laid back down. Bester looked toward Dr. Franklin and nodded.

"Doctor."

Bester walked out of the room. He would be able to recognize the face present in Talia's mind now, but it seemed familiar to him.

"Where did I see that face..."

Bester mused to himself as he matched the face and the feeling from that memory to the anti-Psi Cop field in the shop.

He headed back to his quarters, intent on checking the database.

* * *

_Garibaldi's office..._

The door to the Security office beeped. Garibaldi looked up.

"Come in!"

Amann walked in briskly. He strode to Garibaldi's desk.

"You are Security Chief Garibaldi?"

"Yes, I am. Firstly, who are you, then secondly, what do you want?"

Amann spoke as he sat down.

"My name is Amann Adar, CEO of Alesian Industries. Secondly, why are you holding one of my employees in a cell?"

Garibaldi's eyes suddenly opened wide and he stood up. Then the security chief took Amann's hand and shook it with the feeling of great thanks fully embedded in it.

"You are the owner of that awesome shop! Oh, man, I really gotta thank you! I couldn't buy anything at the time because of the arrest, but the fact that you had bacon...almost every human on this station thanks you, Mr Adar."

Amann nodded.

"Yes, I know that it is greatly demanded. It is why I opened up a shop here. But I would like to get back to the issue of my employee. Robert Smith is a valuable member of my company and he is needed. Without him, I will have to hire another employee and train them to work our computer systems. He is the most senior clerk. I rather not go through the time and effort to train another employee. I would like him released."

Garibaldi sighed.

"Well, that's not really up to me. Tell me, Mr Adar, did you know that Robert was a rogue telepath and was running from the authorities?"

Amann could hear the contempt in Garibaldi's voice when he said 'authorities'. Amann thought it best to feign ignorance.

"No, I did not. But it does not particularly matter. He has done nothing wrong, merely born as a telepath does not condemn him to be thrown into a cell! Now, I would like him released. I think that is not an unreasonable request. I will see to his needs. I do not need the help of Psi Corps or anyone else to dictate how my employees are to be handled."

Garibaldi sighed.

"Well... Just give me a moment."

Garibaldi looked at something on his console, and turned back to Amann.

"Alright, I don't really have any reason to hold him other than the request by the Psi Cops. If you can convince the Psi Cops that Robert is harmless, you can pay a bond set by the magistrate for his release. I am sure Robert can return to work and I can finally get my bacon and tomato."

Amann smiled and inclined his head.

"I will deliver the goods you request at half the price set in the store for your generosity. I am a man who rewards services rendered. It is the definition of good business. Yes, I would like to meet the Psi Cops. Convince them that I will handle my employee in my own way. Perhaps he can even register with the Psi Corps and be a legal telepath in my employ, which is not unheard of. After all, Your Talia Winters is a commercial telepath, although still attached to Psi Corps. Other telepaths are employed by other companies and still work outside of Psi Corps even though they are still monitored. That is acceptable."

Garibaldi smiled slightly.

"My thoughts exactly. Look, I don't condone bribes, but if you can perhaps extend your discount to... perhaps the whole of EarthForce personnel stationed here, that would be considered as a donation to the station administration and you could get tax cuts. I will have Mr Bester in here within a moment and get you talking to him. Meanwhile, I am going to go talk to the magistrate and see if he can set a bond for Bob's release."

"Very well. Be sure to also spread my generosity around! Friends back on Earth, people you know. Associates, distant relatives. I am going to expand my business in many areas. Get people to research my company, invest in it, buy my products. You get the picture."

Amann smiled. He knew how to be charming when he really wanted something. 22,000 years of diplomacy had taught him well. Garibaldi spoke next.

"Well, I don't know about people back on Earth, but real bacon on the station is good enough for me. Let me just make a call."

Amann nodded. Garibaldi sent one of his men to find Bester while personally going to meet the magistrate. Only a junior security personnel was with Amann, both waiting for Bester to arrive.

* * *

Bester was examining the files of people on the station when the door chimed.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Garibaldi would like to see you in his office."

Bester didn't bother to read the mind of an unimportant man.

"What about?"

"He did not say."

Bester frowned and got up to follow the man to the security office.

As he entered the office, he saw the back of Amann as Amann was typing on a datapad. Bester was confused. After a moment, Amann stopped typing and turned around.

"Greetings. My name is Amann Adar, CEO of Alesian Industries. Mr. Garibaldi is busy with talking to the magistrate about my employee that you are holding, a Mr. Robert Smith. I have asked for his release, but he said that I have to convince you."

Bester held his breath for a moment, then spoke.

"Of course, Mr Adar... It's not Bob that I am interested in..."

Amann raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? I see. Well, would you have any objections to releasing him to my custody? There are after all, many commercial telepaths. His talents as a telepath would save me a significant investment in labor if he could use his talents for my company. A clerk doubling as a telepath to be used in transactions. It would save me some operating costs."

Bester smiled slightly then nodded.

"I am certain that things could be arranged. If you could give me your address, I could deliver proper forms that you need to fill in order for us to request Mr Smith's release."

Amann nodded.

"Yes. Room 6 in the Ritz Hotel is where I can be reached. I have no objections over the forms. I believe Mr. Garibaldi will be returning shortly. I am going to post the bail to release Mr. Smith from custody. I guess I got lucky with hiring him. I have been intending to hire a telepath for commercial purposes to sit in on negotiations and the like."

"Of course, Mr. Adar."

Amann nodded as Garibaldi walked in the office. Amann turned to Garibaldi.

"Mr. Garibaldi, have you secured the bail on Robert?"

"Yes... Just five thousand credits for six months, and then he is free unless he does something within that period."

Amann nodded.

"I can pay that. My business is highly successful after all."

Garibaldi smiled.

"Then once you put in the credit right here, we can go release your man."

Amann took out his credit chit and handed it over.

"Here you go. Deduct the amount from the credit chit."

Once that was done, the three men went to the brig. Amann saw Robert sitting in the cell. He smiled.

"Your release has been secured, Mr. Smith. You may return to work. The Psi Corps has agreed to keep you as a registered telepath."

Robert seemed surprised that Amann was here, and with Bester as well, but then when he heard that he was free he smiled.

"I don't understand... but thank you. I know I hate Psi Cops but better than being dissected by them."

Bester quickly denied the innuendo.

"We do not dissect telepaths, Mr. Smith."

Amann raised a hand.

"Let's try to skirt this issue. It is unimportant. What is important is my employee returning to work. Mr. Smith? Please return to your quarters. Work is at 0800 tomorrow. I expect you to be there."

"Yes, Mr. Adar."

Garibaldi smiled.

"Finally, I can get my bacon sandwich made... You have no idea how long the que is with only one on the counter."

Amann nodded.

"I will probably expand the counter to 4 registers. I will have to hire new people so I can serve everyone. Mr. Smith? You may go."

Robert nodded as he left. Amann nodded slightly.

"Mr. Garibaldi. Mr. Bester."

He turned and headed out. As Amann disappeared, Garibaldi's face hardened and he turned to Bester.

"Well, is there anything you want to tell me?"

Bester acted innocent.

"What do you mean, Mr. Garibaldi?"

"I have been a security officer for a long time, Bester. Don't think you can fool me."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Then Bester quickly walked out, leaving Garibaldi's grim stare behind.

* * *

Amann walked along in thought with Robert walking beside him. He frowned.

"That was too easy."

"Sir?"

"You were released all too easily. My studies of Psi Corps show them to be manipulative, relentless in their pursuit of rogues, and not at all willing to let rogues go without being dragged back to their detention centers for re-education. The fact that you still showed hostility to them and they let it go suggests they only released you as bait."

"Bait? For what?"

Amann looked at Robert and said simply.

"Me. They want me and I suspect they know who I am and what I am."

Robert paled.

"Then, there is no place that I can hide. Once they have you, they are gonna get me too."

"Calm down Robert. For one, they are not going to get you. I am once more one step ahead of the hounds."

Amann held up the datapad he was working on.

"I have bought a shuttle for my personal use. You will fly it to the coordinates listed in the computer. Access code to unlock the computer is Freedom. Cargo bay 94. The planet is deserted. I will fly there myself in a few days. You in the meantime camp out and await my arrival. There is over a month's supplies of food on the shuttle. That will last you in the event I am delayed. I have also stored a credit chit of nearly 10,000 credits in case you need to buy more."

Robert hesitated.

"Umm... if I am not on the station in next six months, you would lose my bail."

Amann looked at Robert with a stern expression.

"That will be dealt with in time."

"Oh... Okay. I trust you, Mr Adar. You have stood by me, and you have earned my trust at the very least."

"Yes. Now go. Quickly. I will survive the Psi Cop's for the time being. You just get off the station quickly."

"Alright."

Amann nodded and headed to his quarters. He had preparations to do.

* * *

_Later on in the evening..._

Amann was working on a datapad, listing the day's reports and monitoring the sensor feed from the Jumper on Robert's progress. Amann would know if Robert abused his trust, for he placed a homing beacon on the hull of the ship before it left. He was satisfied with the sensor feed. Apparently, Robert was a man of his word.

Amann looked toward the bed and got up. He put the suit on the dresser and activated his teleport beam. A white robe appeared on the bed. He changed out of his business suit and into the robe. He reached into the suit pocket and pulled out a plasma pistol. While obsolete as far as Alesian weapons go, it was sufficient for his needs. It was a common weapon in the Alesian Militia, and was destructive enough to blow off limbs. It was certainly enough to kill. He looked at the robe he was wearing and placed the pistol on the bed next to him.

The robe was a simple white robe, parted down the lower body so that it could form pants very easily if needed. The robe was able to clasp together to form protection. Every Alesian Legionnaire wore this robe before putting on his armor. It protects its wearer from energy weapons and small caliber bullets, such was the natural toughness of the armored links intertwined with the robe fibers. Amann figured it was a worthy precaution.

Amann thought about it for a second and then activated the beam again. A sword in a sheath appeared on the bed. Amann drew the blade and it glinted with power as it activated. The blade was similar looking to a katana, but it was straight and more broad than a Katana. Amann knew it was capable of slicing even through Alesian armor, for it was a disrupter blade given to him by Chiyou. It was the twin of ChiYou's own sword, forged after their escape from Janus' trap. It was a sign of friendship that neither Amann nor ChiYou ever cast aside.

Amann looked at the sword and put it back in it's sheath. He placed it beside his bed and put the plasma pistol beside him on the bed. He got under the covers and dimmed the lights. He was asleep quickly.

* * *

_Later that night..._

As the nightcycle deepened and the main illumination lights dimmed, there was some noise in the hotel. A group of men, led by Bester, all wearing full Psi Cop uniforms, marched silently into the hotel, their telepathy silencing the hotel staff. They reached the door silently outside room 6 and Bester nodded to the Psi Cops. The Psi Cops prepared to barge into the door and readied their weapons, mostly stunners but some PPGs as well.

Amann was still asleep in his bed, his mind drifting in between dreams. Then the Psi Cops opened the door and barged in, wildly firing several shots at Amann. Amann opened his eyes as they came in, his acute senses warning him of danger. Amann moved fast, faster than any normal human, and grabbed his plasma pistol and fired back snap shots, the large plasma rounds hitting the metal walls and melting large holes. He stood up and ducked behind the bed.

One of the Psi Cops got hit in the chest and he died screaming as the plasma burned through his torso. Bester immediately ordered them to attack Amann with telepathy. Amann sensed several Psi Cops about to strike with telepathy. He knew that might be dangerous. He stood up and threw waves of energy at the Psi Cops, advancing forward grimly, firing his plasma pistol with carefully aimed shots. He picked up his sword and flicked the sheath off with a small mental burst, the sheath falling to the floor with a clatter.

The battle lasted only moments and soon after, the Psi Cops were all down except Bester, only he was strong enough to withstand Amann's psychic powers initially. Four were dead, all from the plasma pistol, and Amann dared not use his blade on some lackeys. Bester, however, was a different matter. Amann smiled grimly as the last wounded Psi Cop scrambled away from him. Amann stopped for a moment and aimed his plasma pistol, executing the Psi Cop with a blast to the head. Amann then turned and pointed his pistol at Bester and held his blade at the ready. Amann was not in a happy mood. On the contrary, he was pissed.

"You......foolish human! You dare attack me?"

Bester cringed but he held on.

"I knew it! You were dangerous! I don't know how you found these alien weapons or how you managed to evade our watch with those powers, but you should sacrifise yourself for the betterment of all human telepaths! You are human, you should know that we need that power!"

Amann growled in fury as he levitated Bester in the air, his power locking Bester's physical movements.

"I am not human! Sacrifice myself....for the likes of you? No thanks! Why in the name of Terra would I ever help you?"

Bester was dumbfounded. This man was not a human? He looked exactly like a human! Then Bester's mind went down a darker path. If he could study this 'alien' then he could gain powers of gods. Bester summoned all of his telepathic powers and lashed out at Amann.

Amann brushed it aside with a contemptuous flick of his hand.

"I should kill you for that."

Amann held the sword at Bester's throat. Bester gulped.

"You wouldn't dare..."

Amann laughed in amusement.

"I would dare, you imbecile. Do you honestly think I am afraid of your pitiful power? But you are more useful to me alive. You could have attacked me with 3 times as many people and it would not have mattered. Alive, you can spread the rumor of my power and also the fact that I am not human. Dead you are an unexplained corpse or missing person."

Amann smiled a wolfish grin. Bester gritted his teeth. Then Amann narrowed his eyes. Bester opened his wide. Amann's powerful mind violently invaded Bester's mind. Thoughts were cast aside as Amann delved for information. Bester screamed, both physically and telepathically. Every telepath in the station had felt his scream. One thing Amann did not consider, however, was that Kosh noticed the scream and pinpointed its origins.

Amann shifted through all of Bester's memories and took what he needed. He was not gentle in extracting all of the information on Psi Corps that he needed. He smiled cruelly.

"That will be all. If you do not want all the information I just took out of your mind exposed for all to see, I suggest you leave me and my operations alone. Any persecution of my people and the information goes to the media immediately. You won't exist for long after that information is made public."

Bester breathed hard as he attempted to flee from the location of the violent mind rape. His only thought was to run. Amann watched him attempt to run before releasing him. He sneered at Bester.

"Go. Leave my presence. I have to clean up the mess you made in my quarters. Pray we don't meet again."

Bester fled. Amann turned without a second thought and re-entered his quarters. He had to clean up a mess.

* * *

Kosh Narenak, the Vorlon ambassador narrowed his visor as he moved toward the hotel. His thoughts were too complex for humans to comprehend but his current thoughts were on the location of the telepathic scream and the power of the mind that caused the scream. He paused for a moment as Bester, a human telepath, running and stumbling out of the hotel. Bester's mind was a scrambled mess as he fled in utter terror. Kosh scanned his thoughts briefly before he found the room that Bester fled from. He guided toward the room swiftly.

Amann had beamed the bodies of the Psi Cops out into deep space. He was busy reconstructing the damage to the walls with metal reforging. It would take several hours to repair all of the damage, since the plasma pistol punched holes the size of grapefruits in the walls. The blood and mess from the Psi Cops were also cleaned up by precision beaming. He had to beam some of the floor plating out into space, but he had already replaced the floor paneling.

Suddenly, Amann stopped. He narrowed his eyes as someone powerful approached. Taking his beloved sword, he walked out into the dark corridor and aimed his plasma pistol down the hall.

After a moment, Kosh appeared.

Amann frowned as the Vorlon appeared in the corridor.

"What is this? What do you want?"

The Vorlon ambassador paused for a moment.

"To know fire is to know that it can both cook food and burn down the house."

Amann looked at the Vorlon.

"You refer to my abilities? I know you have been looking for me."

"Yes."

Amann lowered the pistol.

"The question is, what do you want?"

"To know if the fire is on a torch or set aflame in the forest."

Amann pondered his answer.

"My powers are responsibly used. It is a torch."

Kosh narrowed his visor.

"Eagles do not next with sparrows."

Amann frowned.

"No, but they fly in the same sky."

Kosh's visor opened wide for a moment.

"Yet, eagles fly high, and sparrows do not."

Amann answered.

"No, but Eagles must fly lower to get food and sustenance. Also to get a better view of potential nesting places."

"Creatures of land cannot live under water yet they all have evolved from creatures of the sea. They cannot return to water."

Amann was wondering if all Vorlons did this. It was getting tiresome.

"Certain animals that can fly can also return to water. Animals like ducks."

Kosh seemed to sigh.

"Can the bird fly or live in caves?"

Amann was growing weary of the cryptic talk.

"I am not a bird. What I do is my business and my concern. My interests are mutually exclusive of your own. If your interests parallel mine at some point, then we will talk further. Tell your government that."

Kosh paused in thought, then nodded.

"Yes."

Then he glided away.

* * *

_The next morning..._

Three people walked out of the transport tube. They were all wearing uniforms. Some people nodded to them and they nodded back, but mostly they spoke to each other. One of them, the female, was Commander Ivanova. The others were Captain Sheriden and Chief Garibaldi. They walked down to the new shop that their security chief somehow obtained half-price discounts from.

Ivanova shook her head in disbelief.

"So, half price, huh? And they have fresh food?"

"It's all real! I almost bought steaks and... real bacon! If it wasn't for Bester, I would have gotten them already."

Sheriden blinked.

"That is remarkable. How can a business even operate like this, much less turn a profit?"

Garibaldi shook his head.

"I have no idea. How they got fresh food is nothing short of a miracle."

Ivanova sniffed.

"Is that.....coffee?"

They all looked around, and in the shop Garibaldi mentioned, a man in suit was pouring himself a cup of coffee from a nice looking espresso machine, which could easily fetch a small fortune in antique shops, but looked too new to be a real antique.

Ivanova walked toward the shop and headed for the espresso machine as the man turned toward her. Amann was sipping the coffee. He muttered to himself.

"Ah yes...perfect...."

He saw the 3 people approaching him and he nodded to them.

"Greetings. I finally got this machine to produce some quality coffee. Discount to all service members in uniform. I assume Mr. Garibaldi has told you?"

Sheriden nodded and smiled.

"You must be Mr Adar. I am Captain Sheriden."

"Pleasure to meet you."

He extended his hand and the men shook hands. Amann sipped some more of his coffee.

"Well, it has been a much easier morning than I thought. I have hired 2 new clerks. The queue to buy items are much shorter now, and yet I service more customers now than ever before. Quite profitable."

Noticing that Ivanova's eyes were just focused on the coffee, Amann proceeded to create another cup of his personal coffee. It was good to make a nice first impression to people in power.

He handed the cup to Ivanova.

"There. Much better than most brands if I may say so."

Ivanova smelled it and her eyes opened really wide. She whispered.

"How much is this?"

"That coffee is priceless to me. But you can have that cup for free. A sample of what coffee should taste like."

Garibaldi took a peek at the espresso machine.

"Pretty expensive looking operation you got here, Mr Adar. Expensive coffee?"

"Indeed it is. Although not very expensive once I get operations up to full speed. I can purchase some garden space on Babylon 5, and perhaps even use a nearby planet or two to grow more. Space on Babylon 5 is at a premium and I get the feeling the demand for coffee will not be enough to satisfy by the garden space alone."

Sheriden frowned.

"I was not aware any nearby planet that has Earth-like soil."

Amann frowned. He realized he had to be careful. These humans did not have intergalactic hyperdrives like he could build or use.

"Well I should say....relatively nearby."

Sheriden narrowed his eyes.

"The nearest planet that you probably can plant coffee on would be Xarxes III, and that belongs to the Centauri."

Amann smiled.

"I can probably negotiate with them. I am sure I can offer them something of value."

Sheriden shrugged.

"I am sure..."

Amann spoke.

"Well I am planning on expansion. It seems coffee is an instant hit. I think that will be good. Plus other shops and ideas I am considering. I will be making a wide variety of products. I believe there is a world near here inhabited by humans. Tarsus III. I believe that would be a good world for supporting industries."

Garibaldi finally got his cup and smelled it as Amann handed it to him. Then he looked up.

"Tarsus III? That's... an empty planet. Last time I heard, their settlement was like 15 thousand people and a harsh winter killed off nearly a thousand people."

"Exactly. A perfect world to offer work and improvement of their conditions at a very reasonable price."

Ivanova had finished her third, tentative sip.

"That would cost a lot of money. Your company must be really wealthy to even think about that."

Amann smiled.

"Not so much in cost. You would be surprised at the costs of such an operation. But I am wealthy. Already I have pulled in millions off a simple food shop in less than a few days. And I will offer even more as I expand. The profits are enormous and you get things at much cheaper prices. Everyone wins."

Sheriden smiled finally as Amann made the third cup and handed it to him.

"If you can keep this business going and keep supplying the station with fresh food, you have my support, Mr Adar. Good day."

Amann nodded to all of them.

"Good day."

He walked off to the back room and disappeared. He had work to do.

* * *

"So... What do you think?"

Sheriden turned to Garibaldi and raised his eyebrows at the Security Chief's question.

"What do you mean?"

"About that man. I have this feeling... He is not a bad guy or shady, but there is... something about him..."

"He seemed pleasant enough, but I think you might be right. I did sense that the man was dangerous. I can't quite put my finger on it. His smile was friendly, but his eyes were cold."

Ivanova nodded too.

"Yes, there was something about him. Almost... a bit like when Bester is around. As if he know more than we do."

Sheriden turned to Garibaldi.

"Speaking of which, what about Bester?"

"He left suddenly last night. He took the first ship he could find that went near Earth. He took the ship to Mars."

Ivanova looked up sharply.

"What about his men?"

"He didn't take them with him, but I can't find any of them on the station."

"They must be hiding on the station. That makes me uneasy."

Garibaldi nodded.

"I will have my men looking for them. They will surface eventually."

Ivanova finished her coffee with deep regret. She turned her head to Sheriden.

"What of Talia? Has she recovered yet, sir?"

"She is resting in her quarters I believe. Dr. Franklin said she would be alright, just shaken. She apparently met that telepath that Bester was looking for."

Garibaldi narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe Bester met his special telepath and he or she kicked Bester's ass out of here. That would be fun."

Sheriden shook his head.

"But that doesn't explain why he left by himself or why his men went into hiding."

Garibaldi shrugged and sipped more coffee.


	7. Establishment

**An Addition To The Circle**

**Chapter 7: Establishment**

Robert finished reading the book. He had practically spent the whole of last week reading through the three books he brought with him on the shuttle. Two novels and a small booklet Amann gave him about the nature of human brain and telepathy. The booklet was difficult and had many words he didn't understand, but he grasped that it was the first of a series of books on 'psychic powers', as the booklet labeled them.

Suddenly the sensors chirped in alarm as it detected a powerful energy signature exiting near the shuttle. Robert spotted a tubular shaped craft appearing outside his window as it pulled alongside.

Robert's mind immediately reached out, almost out of instinct and partly from the meditation technique in the booklet. Then he met a familiar, powerful and immense mind. He relaxed as he confirmed it was Amann on the cockpit of the other vessel. He was still not quite sure of his employer's powers or how far it had progressed.

He was busy watching outside the window when he saw a flash coming from behind hm. He turned around to see Amann standing there in his Alesian armor. Amann walked over and sat down in the co-pilot chair. Robert was surprised at the attire. He never saw something that looked so ancient, yet the very look of the armor gave him a chill as he looked at the emblazoned gold eagle. The talons on the armor were stretched out and the wings were spread. The armor reeked of technology.

"Mr. Adar... Umm... Welcome?"

Amann looked around at the primitive craft.

"Yes. Welcome indeed, Robert. I take it you have many questions."

"Well... Yes..."

"My answer will suffice for now, but let's just say that I am not human. I look like one, talk like one, and genetically I am very similiar in biological and genetic terms, but I am of a far older race."

"You mean... you are an alien? You mean like the ones that is written in this booklet?"

Robert held up the booklet, which mentioned Alterans and their psychic development as a race, but without the specific name.

"Yes, that race is one I am a member of. As you might have guessed, the mental and physical prowess of my root race are far more advanced than the current development of humans. I am not of this universe, having come from an alternate universe, but where I come from, humans were made in our image. Your race was to be the second development of our species."

"Alternate... universe? Wow... that's a bit too much for me to handle, Mr Adar... I have no background in science... I couldn't understand a tenth of the medical and scientific stuff in this booklet let alone some alternate universe... I will take your word for it. So... how did you arrive here? It must have been for a reason."

"Good question. It was not my design. But I am here now and I intend to make money. Alot of money. It will be useful for furthering my goals. I intend to eventually create an army to fight a unknown enemy, but also guide the younger races as I get real economic, political, and military power. Freedom will be respected, as will the various cultures. I do not intend to conquer, but to guide. There are many uninhabited planets here that I can easily use. I hope this does not alarm you, for you will be my number 2 man in my operations. You will report directly to me. Given enough time and trust, you would be an extremely rich man, and you would be given telepathic and telekinetic powers. All you have to do is follow my instructions and be loyal to me. I reward people who are loyal to me, and my goals are in the best interests of humanity and the other races."

Robert took a moment to consider it all.

"Oh... Okay. Well, I trust you. You have chased away the Psi Cops, and that's good enough for me. I am guessing that you didn't bring me out here just to stash me away. You obviously want me to do something."

Amann nodded.

"Yes I do. You see, I think that the issue with the telepaths could prove useful for Alesian Industries. A force of willing and able workers who would be able to use their talents with no fear of Psi Corps. They will be fed, clothed, and fairly comfortable, although not really luxurious. It will be better than the conditions the rogue telepaths live in while trying to run."

Amann paused.

"I want you to lead an underground railroad of telepaths through Babylon 5 and other places. I will be busy setting up industries and complexes in the next few months. The telepaths will be very useful and efficient in running factories and other such things. I intend to expand Alesian Industries in many areas, including weapons development, heavy construction, commercial products, commercial services. Almost every area of economics I want to expand in. That will require a large workforce, but the telepaths would be the best work force."

Robert nodded.

"Most certainly, Mr. Adar, but how will you deal with Psi Cops? They do keep tabs on many of the rogue telepaths."

Amann paused as he considered Robert's question. His voice was cold as he spoke.

"Let's just say the Psi Cops won't come near me or my operations. I took care of them."

Robert nodded slowly. Amann turned on his communication link.

"NABIS, land the jumper on the surface of this planet. We will follow."

Robert turned to Amann in surprise.

"Why are we going down to this planet? It's an empty planet. Mostly arid landscapes with little vegetation and no apparent mineral resources."

Amann looked at Robert.

"There is great supplies of Naquadah in this planet. It is a metal used in much of my people's technology. I am mining Trinium, another metal, on another planet as well. This will allow alot of options to be opened using my technology."

"Naquadah? Trinium? I've never heard of such minerals... Are you sure that this... Naquadah is on this planet? Earth Dome did extensive mineral finding searches around this sector when they were building the Babylon stations."

Amann nodded.

"Yes, my sensors can pick it up. It happens to be very deep underground."

Robert nodded.

"Well, if you say so... When are you going to start bringing ships and construction workers in?"

"As soon as I acquire the ships and workers I will need. However, I have methods of getting the metal up, but I will need to replicate an industrial beam array to make the mining viable. Conventional digging would be a futile effort since the metal is more than a mile deep in the ground."

Robert was confused.

"The what array?"

"The beam array. We have powerful transporter technology. Observe."

Amann took out his remote pad for the jumper and typed in a few numbers. A few seconds later, a small naquadah rock was beamed into the shuttle.

Robert was very surprised. He remembered the bright flash but didn't think too much on it when Amann appeared. Then it hit him. It was such technology that Amann used to teleport himself. Robert actually thought it was part of Amann's psychic power, which the booklet mentioned was possible. Amann spoke as he typed in more numbers on the remote pad.

"This is how my people usually mine minerals unless it happens to be neutronium, then we have to temperature mine it. But I need very little neutronium currently. Naquadah and Trinium will do for now."

Amann landed the shuttle as the flagship jumper landed alongside. Robert nodded.

"Oh, alright... I don't get it still, but I will take your words for it."

Amann opened the shuttle hatch and headed for the jumper parked in the grassy green plains nearby. He opened the door of the jumper and walked inside. Robert followed him out of the shuttle and looked around at the landscape.

The planet was a strange mixture of steep mountains and low rolling hills, littered with grasslands. The mountains were mostly bare, the metallic rocks of the mountains were useless to mine and nothing grew on them. What soil that made up the ground had been eroded from the mountains and deposited down to the hills. The lack of rivers and strong winds made the forests impossible to grow, but grass grew well here, although the green-tinged earth, thanks to the oxidized copper elements in the soil, made the whole planet rather strange looking.

The planet had a low water level, with a mere 10% surface water coverage and most of them in deep lakes that sparsely dotted the pangaeic landmass. Although Robert didn't know it, Amann had chosen this planet and this landing spot for its strategic defensive positions. It was far from any tall mountains, while being on a high enough hill to servey the surroundings.

After a few minutes, Amann walked out of the jumper with a few items in his hands. He set one object down on the ground. Robert walked over as Amann typed a few things into the pad.

"Mr. Adar. I would normally not be so inquisitive, but what are we doing?"

Amann looked up as he held out a small handle shaped device with a screen on it. Robert took the device as Amann spoke.

"I am marking this spot for the automated ships I have purchased. They will be here soon carrying construction materials. My AI has already been installed in the ship computers and machinery. She will be constructing a mining complex here on the spot we are on. I need you to scan for a level place for a storage unit for all of the refined minerals to be collected when I land back on here. Scan on the plains below this hill with that scanner. All of the parameters are set into it. Scan for an appropriate place and report to me. I will mark that as well. This complex will have a place for cargo ships to land and carry refined metals off to other sites I will soon have set up. There will be a refinery here as well as several industrial beam arrays. Plus a shield generator and drone platform to ensure no one trespasses on my mining apparatus. No race I know of will be able to breach my shields or would want to for an automated mining complex."

Robert nodded as he walked off with the scanner. It started beeping as it scanned the area for suitable spots. Amann nodded as he typed in more things and gave NABIS more instructions. It would be a busy few months.

* * *

_A day later..._

Amann sighed as he checked the fuel and material reserves of his jumper. The jumper was never meant to construct an entire compound of buildings and machines. They were just supposed to make him food and clothing. He realized he needed to restock, and he needed more Naquadah. The Neutronium was still in adequate quantity for now, and the micro reactor that produced enough energy to power a Ha'tak and then some, was in good shape. He just needed more fuel. Amann decided to visit a few places.

Luckily for him, he had used the majority of the fuel reserves for mining Naquadah and Trinium, which would help refuel his jumper and also take the strain off his beam array. Now he had several beam arrays that would work more efficiently than his jumper one could manage. All he needed was time to mine and refine the materials, and he could afford to wait. But he would use the time productively by building his company as a economic power. He smiled slightly. He had contacted representatives of FutureCorp on Mars, which was where he was heading with his jumper. No one need know he was on the planet with his cloaking technology. Not even Psi Corps. No need to alert the authorities.

The travel was neither as fast nor as smooth as he wanted. Amann grimaced, for the primitive hyperdrive technologies of the younger races had gravely disturbed the hyperspace dimension. Especially with the frequent travels near the Earth's solar system, the hyperspace was turbulent to say the least. It was as if the jumper was skirting past a blackhole. Growling, he constantly re-modulated the hyperdrive. Eventually, he got to Sol system. Sighing as he exited hyperspace, he quickly cloaked the jumper. No need to alarm EarthForce with unknown craft.

He straightened the tie on his business suit and beamed down to one of the domes on Mars. He smiled as he observed the city. This could be very profitable indeed. He walked along, taking note of apparent technologies and what he could sell to make the people devote money and resources to his purposes. Finally, he reached the FutureCorp building. He walked inside the lobby and headed to the front desk where a receptionist was sitting. The receptionist was bored, typing on her computer. He smiled at her as he walked up to the desk.

"Greetings. My name is Amann Adar, I believe I have an appointment with Mr. Leed."

The receptionist checked the log, and gestured him in. Mr Brandon Leed, the CEO of the Future Corp Investment, a major subsiduary of the Future Corp, a prominent businessman of great influence was with two other men, one obviously a lawyer and the other being his adviser.

Brandon stood up, and shook Amann's hand.

"Welcome, Mr... Adar. I am Brandon Leed, the CEO of FutureCorp Investment."

Amann surveyed the 3 men, his brown eyes briefly scanned them. He felt telepathic ability from the adviser, something he made a note of.

"Greetings Mr. Leed. I am Amann Adar, of the newly formed Alesian Industries. We spoke over the comm link."

"Yes, Mr Adar. I have heard your proposals, and I am very interested. Also, I have checked you out, and despite the secrecy surrounding you, I did find that you have no connections to the criminal underworld and your money is genuine. With such collateral, I think the Future Corp can... do business with you."

The adviser took out some old-style paper documents in a folder. Then Amann felt the telepathic power reaching out... but not invasive. The telepath was just trying to find if Amann was telling the truth.

Amann nodded.

"My entire business is legitimate. I do not do business with criminals."

He smiled.

"Well, not the kind you are thinking of. Politicians can be considered criminal, yet we have to deal with them."

The adviser whispered to Leed. Leed smiled and nodded.

"Very good, Mr Adar. Oh by the way, my adviser is a commercially certified telepath. His name is Mr. Samson. He tells me that you are telling the truth."

Amann nodded in understanding.

"Yes, I might have known about him being one. The gloves sort of give it away."

He pointed slightly toward the black gloves the man was wearing. Leed smiled. He handed over the folder. It had proposed funding, investments, share percentages and other things, including various business contacts for Amann.

"This proposal concludes with 25% share and 75% for your company. There is also the list of construction companies, and other companies that would be receptive to your company's proposals. There is also, the deeds for the office space on Earth Dome and on Mars, as you have requested. The price is as negotiated."

Amann took a look at it and read it.

"Interesting contracts. I would have to consider such offers. I could probably get the credits to you within a month of my operations. I am expanding in other areas as well. I can also offer alot of construction opportunities for FutureCorp. Structures and the like built at twice the speed of competitors. Also reduced cost."

Leed nodded.

"Yes, as you have noticed that all the construction companies are part of Earth Dome's corporations. The Earth Dome does not like other colonies having such industry. There are many regulations. If you want to set up a construction company, you may want to do it from the Earth Dome."

Amann considered it. He had known this already, but it was good to have confirmation. Especially since he had already taken appropriate action.

"Which I will be doing as soon as I leave here. The permits have already been filled out. As well as a few small bribes to clear the red tape. It is all perfectly legal."

Amann gave a small smile.

"Earth Dome is likely to consider my industrialization of other colonies, given that I have already offered them tangible gains to be made. More money made by me means more taxes for them to take."

Leed smiled.

"Of course..."

Amann smiled back, but something nagged in the back of his mind. There was something about this man. Amann, as a powerful psychic, felt something about him. Something powerful, but nothing physical. Almost... bleeding through a dimensional wall, there was something powerful related to him. Amann and Leed shook hands. In that physical touch, Amann recognized telepathic potential, strong potential, in Leed. It was very dormant, and almost impossible to wake it, but it was powerful.

Amann decided this merited further investigation. Perhaps this man could be an ally, worthy of his company. He could even offer such psychic potential to Mr. Leed in time. He even sensed a desire to be telepathic in the man. Perhaps he already knew of his dormant abilities.

Leed spoke.

"I would also give you this number. This is the number for my cousin. He owns a small shop down in New York City, he has some contacts, so I am sure you can use his help."

Amann nodded.

"I will be in contact with him. I will send my reply to you in a few days via comm link. I might even make a counter-proposal after I give this contract a clear read through with my advisers. A quick read is not sufficient for detailed information."

He stood up and they shook hands again, then Amann walked out with the documents.

Amann beamed up to his jumper and smiled. He learned more than he really needed in that meeting with the FutureCorp representative. Yes, Mr. Leed would be a useful asset for him later on. Now he had to go to Earth and get all the permits he required sorted out.

* * *

After many productive meetings and deals in LA, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Beijing, Amann decided to take a couple of days off. After all it was an exhausting three weeks of busy scheduling he had just endured. He had called Leed eleven times during the past three weeks, discussing business. Amann was smart and clever, but the human style of business deals were far more complex, devious and tiring. Alesians were a lot more straight forward after all.

Amann decided to take a trip to New York, booking a room at the New Plaza, the grandest hotel on the continent, owned by FutureCorp's subsidiary.

He decided that he did all he could in the time he was given so far, and that the only thing to do was wait a few days. After all, the materials from his mining operations would be refined enough to repower his jumper and also to start construction of several new items of Alesian origin that would be useful. Things such as beam arrays, communication links with NABIS, and several drone luanchers to protect his mining operations. He had also arranged for powerful defense shields to be put on the complex once they were completed. But that was not all the arrays produced for him. He would look them over when he revisited the mining worlds. For now, he would relax.

Amann decided to think about the items and technologies to leak to the galaxy. While he was thinking about them, he decided to pay a visit to the cousin of Brandon Leed.

Amann fastened his tie and beamed over into a nearby alley. He had made sure no one could see him before he beamed over, thanks to the jumper's sensors. He walked along the street, heading toward the shop. He finally spotted it and walked in, taking careful note of it. It appeared it was a mere consulting firm, but one that dealt with financial and logistical matters.

The doorbell rang, and Amann thought it was very old style office. It was a small company. It held only 2 people inside the office. The man, Dr. Kenneth Leed, a PhD holder, and a female secretary, who happened to be Dr. Martha Leed, also a PhD holder. They were quite young, barely 30. The wall behind Mr. Leed held several certificates, including his two doctorates. This man was smart and obviously knew alot about the business world. Even more useful, the couple were both telepaths. It was almost a bonus for Amann.

Amann had sensed them immediately. They were both fairly powerful telepaths, but not as powerful as the Psi Cops he encountered. They were probably not part of Psi Corps either, judging how carefully they guarded their thoughts. Useful to him.

"You must be Mr. Leed, I was referred to you by Mr. Brandon Leed, supposedly your cousin."

Amann held out a hand and smiled at the man. Yes, very useful indeed. The man held out his hand and smiled back.

"Yes, I am his cousin, or he is my cousin rather. I am Dr. Kenneth Leed, you can call me Ken. I specialize in small business consultation."

"So I am told. I am the CEO of Alesian Industries. I am expanding in many areas of business. Such as construction, commercial products, food sales such as my shop on Babylon 5, and even looking at starting expansion in R&D for EarthForce."

Leed frowned.

"Umm... that sounds rather... too big for me, Mr. Adar. I am sure I can refer you to some bigger consultant company..."

Amann spoke.

"No, I was referred to you by a Future Corp CEO, and they are among the biggest corporations out there. Besides, I pay well. Very well. If you accept, I would hire you as a full time consultant. You would need not look for other clients if you wanted. You could even expand this company of yours to include a much larger entity with the funds I will give you."

Amann paused for breath then spoke again.

"Besides, you would have...other talents I am interested in."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that your abilities would be very useful to me. You need not fear retribution from...the authorities. They would never touch you either. Plus I am sure you know other people with the same abilities."

The Leeds gulped as they understood the innuendo. Their telepathic communication sent to each other worried about Amann. Was he a Psi Cop? Amann had seemed to guess what they were thinking.

"No, I am not with the authorities. If I was, I would have arrested you by now. I think that is a good trust basis to start with. Bester and I had a nice little chat about this too when he found me. Of course, he left me alone, as he should. My operations are none of his concern."

The Leeds noticed how quickly Amann's tone changed when he talked about Psi Corps. It was cold, almost indifferent.

"So... what are you proposing?"

Amann nodded with a smile.

"I would like to buy you out, Mr Leed, and hire you. Simply business, no need to fear a thing. You see, there is nothing to fear."

Amann reached out and made a pen fly to his hand in plain sight.

"I would also like to hire other men and women such as ourselves. People of our talent will be incredibly useful for me. I am also running a special sort of railway for such individuals."

Mrs. Leed gasped.

"That's...That's telekinesis...that's almost unheard of..."

Dr. Leed looked amazed.

"I have seen my father make a pencil twitch... but that's..."

Amann smiled slightly.

"My powers are not limited to a pen. I could make other things move. Tables, chairs, Psi Cops..."

Amann beamed the necessary documents into the air and floated it to Leed with his mind.

"Now, shall we discuss the details?"

The two Dr. Leeds nodded.

* * *

Amann smiled as he headed back to Babylon 5. The first mining cycle was done already with the stockpiles of Naquadah and Trinium he had mined. He used them to make more Alesian technologies for his use, as well as a few items of lesser technological development. He had put on another business suit. Now he had to go speak with the Centauri ambassador. He studied the file on him that NABIS compiled when she hacked into the secure files on board Babylon 5. With a flash of hyperspace window, he exited near the station and cloaked quickly. The station's sensors only detected the small hyperspace window, not the cloaked jumper. He beamed back into his quarters, smirking slightly as he pocked his plasma pistol and the small Goa'uld hand device. They would prove useful. He walked out of his quarters and headed toward Green Sector, where the ambassadorial quarters were located. He found Londo Mollari's quarters and rang the bell. He heard a voice call out with a peculiar accent.

"Come!"

Amann entered as the door swung open for him. Amann walked in and saw two Centauri standing there. He saw Londo Mollari and smiled. The other one had to be his assistant, Vir Cotto.

"Greetings Ambassador. I am Amann Adar, CEO of Alesian Industries. I believe I..."

Londo interrupted him.

"Is that so? I am sorry, I am very busy at the moment."

Amann frowned. He was not used to being interrupted.

"This would only take a few minutes of your time ambassador. If you would just..."

"I have no time for small time business deals. Please make an appointment at a later date. Preferably much later."

Amann blinked. This insolent little insect was starting to annoy him. Arrogant git. He considered the merits of throwing the ambassador against a wall a few times, but that would be counterproductive. He decided to try a different tack. He pulled out the Goa'uld hand device and carefully put it on. Londo looked at the device.

"What is that?"

Amann did not answer. He simply pointed it at a table and shot out a shockwave that demolished the entire table and anything behind it. Londo looked furious and made to walk forward in anger. Amann pointed the hand device at Londo quickly, causing the ambassador to halt in his tracks. Amann spoke coolly.

"I trust I have your full attention now, ambassador. Listen carefully. There is something I want from you. We could come to some sort of business arrangement."

Londo looked at Amann.

"What do you want? Money? Valuables?"

Amann smiled cruelly.

"A planet. Specifically Xarxes III. I want that planet to fall under my control."

Londo looked at Amann for a moment then started laughing.

"You are a lunatic. Go away, pester someone else. An entire planet? You must be out of your mind."

Amann drew out his plasma pistol. He looked at it as Londo gulped. He threw it carelessly at Londo, much to the ambassador's surprise. He spoke before the ambassador could, voicing the answer to Londo's unspoken question.

"Yeah, that is a plasma pistol. Shoot me."

Londo looked at Amann.

"What?"

Amann spoke more clearly and a little louder.

"Shoot me!"

Londo pointed it at Amann hesitantly. He was annoyed with this lunatic, but it was a far cry from actually trying to kill him. Amann spoke, even more annoyed now.

"I said shoot me, not threaten me. If I wanted to be threatened, I would go to Down Below and pick a few fights. Shoot me!"

Londo hesitated and fired a shot slightly over Amann's head. The Goa'uld shield flared orange as it absorbed the blue plasma bolt harmlessly. Amann's voice was heavy with contempt.

"Do the Minbari or any other race besides the Vorlons have shield technology? Your race can. I have studied this alien artifact and have developed shield technology with my company. All I require from the Centauri government is the agricultural planet I asked for. I would give you several shield generators in exchange for the planet. Additional generators can be purchased under license from my company, since I patented the technology already. But I would sell them at a discount price to your government. I am sure this is a very cheap price to acquire a technological advantage over the other younger races. Even the Minbari would be hard pressed to overcome your warships in battle. In time, I might even develop personal shields for your soldiers in ground combat. Are you interested? Give in to my requests and I will make sure the generators are given to the Centauri."

Londo looked shocked at the results of the personal shield.

"I...would have to pass that along to my government."

Amann nodded.

"Yes I'm sure you will. You may reach me at the Ritz when you have your answer, room 6 is where I am staying. Now, if you do not mind, I want my plasma pistol back."

Amann held his hand out. Londo put the plasma pistol in his hand hesitantly. Amann pocketed the plasma pistol and walked out, satisfied. Opportunities were arising already. He just hoped Robert was working with Dr. Leed on what would become the new telepathic railroad. Hopefully he would have hundreds of new workers within a few months. He had more technologies to develop and sell to the other races.


	8. Power Base

**The Addition Into the Circle**

**Chapter 8: Power Base**

**

* * *

**

One of Babylon 5's premier offices was rented, and that event filled the gossips around the water coolers in the offices on B5. After all, only the most wealthy corporations that dealt with other races were present there. Even the station's command level staff were interested in it as Garibaldi and Ivanova were sitting down in the officer's mess and drinking the coffee imported by the Alesian outlet store on Babylon 5. Garibaldi set his tray down on the table.

"So who rented it?"

Ivanova looked at Garibaldi over her coffee.

"Well, it was rented out by the Alesian Industries company. I guess Adar is expanding outward if he needs office space that big.

"Ah... Hmm... Well, he must have alot of money to rent that particular space. That space sat empty for 2 months. I pass by it almost everyday going from my quarters to my office."

Ivanova nodded.

"You aren't kidding. He bought the space, not even bothering to rent it."

"So what's he selling now?"

Ivanova shrugged as she started to dig into her breakfast.

"Well he appears to have expanded into construction and heavy industry as well as commercial food selling."

Garibaldi was busy eating his food as well.

"That's interesting. I heard that he had a talk with Londo. I don't know what it was about, but Londo was in a real hurry to talk to the Centauri government afterward."

Ivanova blinked.

"That is interesting. You know, the more I hear about Alesian Industries and how fast it is rising in economic terms, the more suspicious I am getting about it."

The door to the mess opened and Sheriden came in. He spotted his senior officers and walked up to them.

"Good morning."

Ivanova nodded to her CO.

"Good morning, sir."

Ivanova handed Sheriden his morning briefing and Sheriden read through it. Then he paused.

"Alesian corporation 'bought' an office space? That's a lot of money."

"Yes sir, over 2 million credits. They must have really long term plans."

"Hmmm... I agree. Let's see... Mr Adar... wants to see me... Do you know what it is about?"

Ivanova shrugged.

"He said something about technology and offering us something."

Garibaldi looked interested.

"Perhaps it's like that discount for the officers."

Sheriden was wearing a curious look on his face.

"Possible, but it seems like Alesian Industries is really expanding. I don't think I know of any company rising this fast."

Sheriden nodded and got up to get a tray from the officer's mess area. This would turn out to be an interesting meeting.

* * *

Sheriden looked up from his desk from his various paperwork as Amann walked into the room. He knew Amann was gone for a few days, judging from him leaving on a shuttle. Little did he know that Amann was never on a shuttle, having faked the computer entry and departing in his jumper instead. He spoke to Amann finally.

"Ah, Mr Adar. Welcome back. I hear you only came back yesterday. I hope your business back on Earth Dome went okay."

Amann nodded with a smile.

"Yes it was most profitable. Many business deals were concluded. Alesian Industries is expanding into many fields. I am even starting a Research and Development branch that will offer EarthForce upgraded weaponry and various applications of war."

Amann's smile was friendly, but his posture was oddly reminiscent of a military education, something that wasn't easily erased.

"I see... Military technologies? Well, I am sure Earth Force would be glad to hear that."

"Yes, which is why I am here today. You see, I have been developing such technologies to use for various fields. This is a big reason for my success in the business world once I got them developed."

"And you have come to me... why?"

Amann walked over to Sheriden's desk.

"I could offer such technology to Babylon 5. Of course, this does not come free, but I could give you an enormous advantage over any potential attacker."

Sheriden's eyes sparkled.

"Technology to defend Babylon 5? Of course, you understand that our budget is limited, and we have to have an agreement from other major powers. The Minbari, Centauri, Narn and the Vorlons must agree to this, as well as Earth Force."

Amann paused.

"That could be a problem. It is doubtful the other alien races will want us to possess shield technology."

Sheriden's eyes opened wide.

"Shield technology?"

Amann replied simply.

"Yes. Not even the Minbari have such technologies. Imagine the ability of this station to hold off an attack from the Minbari or another race for a while, until the shields fail of course...but it would hold off for a little while."

"Well, that is tempting... but you will have to convince them. My hands are tied. If I proposed this, then... it would seem as if Earth Dome is pushing for this. The other races will not agree if this technology goes to Earth Force..."

Amann looked at Sheriden shrewdly. Sheriden got the uncomfortable impression he was being analyzed. Finally Amann spoke.

"What if I proposed it?"

Sheriden narrowed his eyes. There were some suspicions lingering in his mind, but... he decided to go with his gut feelings this time.

"If they think that you are a arms dealer who will sell technologies fairly... then I think there might be a chance... The question I would ask is... Why Babylon 5? You know that we don't have much of a budget to pay you, yet you set up your business here and offer me shield technology."

Amann tapped his fingers on the desk.

"There is something I want, but not in terms of money. You see, this corporation will want an additional office space. You could cede that space to my corporation. It is a 2 million dollar value. That is a fair price for shield technology to be installed on this station."

Sheriden paused.

"Very well, Mr Adar. If you can get the major powers to agree with this, then I have no problem with it. Good day."

Amann walked out of the office with a little smile. He knew he could easily get the Centauri into the deal and even the Vorlons and Minbari. The question was how to deal with the Narns.

* * *

Amann looked at his basic plans for technological distribution. He had decided to give technologies that is in line with the Tauri's technological development. The railguns of the Tauri were powerful weapon against non-shielded targets. Even unshielded Alesian ships took damage under the explosive and penetrative powers of the plasma railgun, when the ammunition packed Asgard-based plasma explosive. The Earth ships, as Amann had researched so far, were tough-looking ships. However, they were fragile at best compared to the ships he was most familiar with. Amann was thinking to give them earlier versions of the Tok'ra-Tauri ablative armor platings. That would significantly increase the structural strength of the ships. That would be a fair balance to Centauri shield advantages.

Amann decided that if the Centauri were to get shield technologies, albeit low end ones even for the Goa'uld, then the other major powers would have to get something to counter balance it. He decided that the Narns should get a weakened version of energy absorbent armor for their ships. His research into Narn ships suggested they had heavily armored ships. This could give the Narns fairly even odds againt the new Centauri shield technologies. The problem was with the weapons. Amann didn't want a single power to overwhelm the others, but that would have to wait. He had to give somethings to these powers to keep them thinking that he is fair. Londo will come to him on his own time, but... The trouble would be Narns and the Minbari.

Amann had studied the Minbari carefully, for they were the most powerful of the younger races. He knew they would be very displeased by their technological advantage being offset. But they were pawns of the Vorlons, and Amann felt sure he could talk with Kosh, especially since Kosh knew about his true nature. The only thing Amann was concerned about was what sort of weapons to give to each race. Giving the wrong weapons out would upset the political balance. He had to play every side carefully or the house of cards would be a disaster. He got up out of his room and walked out. He slowly walked to the diplomatic sector. He needed to see a few ambassadors.

Amann decided that the Narns would have to come first, since he gave their enemies shield technology. He would have to give the Narns something to put the balance right again. He had chosen his particular technology with care, for he had considered his options carefully. He even considered giving the Narn telepathic DNA, something he knew they deeply desired, but he would reserve that as an ace in the hole if he ever needed the Narns for something very drastic.

He made an appointment with G'Kar, but he was supposed to talk to someone called Na'toth first. He walked along until he found the indicated quarters. He rang the door chime and heard a voice call out.

"Enter!"

Amann walked inside and spotted a female Narn.

"Greetings. I was told to come to you before we go see Ambassador G'Kar."

"Yes, you must be Amann Adar. The Ambassador will see you tomorrow. He is busy today."

Amann frowned slightly. He started pacing.

"Well, I think he could clear a small time slot for me today if possible. I am to go before the Babylon 5 Council tomorrow, which will be too late to go see the Ambassador in person. I wish to offer the Narn Regime a technological advantage, one that could offset their technological inferiority with the Centauri."

Na'toth slammed her fist down on the table in anger.

"How dare you!"

Nar'toth got up and fumed.

"We Narns are not inferior to anyone, particularly to the Centauri!"

Amann spoke calmly, not bothered by the raging attache.

"Let's face facts. Pride will get you little gain. The Centauri have a stronger, more powerful, and numerically superior fleet to your own forces. They also have a technological advantage over your ships, particularly since they got artificial gravity on their ships that allow them superior maneuverability."

Amann continued.

"You have nibbled at their territory, but sooner or later, they will strike at you. I do not like your chances for survival when that happens. But perhaps my technological advantage could give your forces the ability to match the Centauri fleet in a one on one contest. You might not have numerical superiority, but you can make it harder for them to win."

Na'toth narrowed her eyes.

"What is this... Technological advantage you suggest?"

Amann clasped his hands behind his back.

"I could install artificial gravity packages onboard your ships, giving your ships increased maneuverability. You still will not be as maneuverable as a Centauri warship, but you are more heavily armored. I will also offer armor to your people that will be able to absorb energy weapons fire for a little while, increasing the survivability of your own ships.

"What? How... do you have such technology? I did not know that Earth Force had such technology!"

Amann smiled then.

"Such technologies will also be offered to Earth Force. I am after all human. But I can easily make sure the Narns get the technology as well. My company is the sole manufacturer of such technological developments."

Na'toth turned away for a moment. Then she turned back to Amann.

"A moment please, Mr. Adar. I think the Ambassador's time just opened up."

Amann nodded.

"Thank you, let us go see him then."

Na'toth went into G'Kar's room.

"Ambassador, your appointment is here."

G'Kar waved his hand.

"I told you I do not want to see anyone."

"But Ambassador, I think you might want to see this. This human businessman just talked with me. He is offering technologies to our people that could help us against the Centauri."

That made G'Kar looked up.

"Technologies? Hmmm... bring him in."

Na'toth nodded and strode out. After a moment, Amann had walked into the dimly lit room. The color red seemed to be prevalent among the Narns. He wasn't all that fond of it. He much preferred the blue and white architecture of his home. He looked at G'kar with calculating eyes.

"Greetings Ambassador."

G'Kar looked at Amann with a penetrating gaze. It was different from Londo. Londo had much disguised intelligence hidden behind his greedy exterior, but G'Kar was sharp as a knife. The Narn were cunning and manipulative, perhaps even more so than the Centauri. If Sheriden was like a broadsword, G'Kar was a rapier with his precise manipulations. Delenn was like flowing water while Kosh... well Kosh was Kosh. Amann recognized a powerful opponent in G'Kar's manipulations, but Amann had all the cards. He just needed to get G'Kar to play along.

"Greetings, Mr..."

Na'toth quickly supplied the name.

"Adar."

G'Kar nodded in thanks.

"Mr. Adar."

G'Kar continued.

"Now that you have met me, let's talk straight. I do not have much time to waste."

Amann spoke, knowing he had the advantage and therefore the conversation was on his terms, despite the Ambassador trying to dictate the pace of it.

"I believe after you heard what I have to offer, your other appointments will seem fairly inconsequential."

"Then speak your offer, Mr Adar."

Amann continued.

"I have already discussed much with your aide, but I offer artificial gravity and energy absorbent armor to your fleet of ships. This will somewhat make a full fledged battle with the Centauri on roughly even terms. Your ships will still be slower, but they will take quite a beating with my armor, and they can maneuver better. Granted, the Centauri still have a bigger fleet than the Narns, but they will have to use more resources to overcome you and you can probably fight them to a standstill if need be. Is that worth your time?"

G'Kar narrowed his eyes. He sat up straight.

"Your offer sounds very generous. However, I am interested in... weapons."

Amann was not surprised by this, his studies of G'kar showed him to be a cunning manipulator. He would have to be careful.

"Weapons...hmmm, I have not really started weapons development, preferring to work on defensive technologies first. But I assure you, once I fully tested and develop any weapons, I will offer them to you."

"I see... Tell me, why is it that you offer us such advantages?"

Amann looked at G'kar and gave a slight chuckle.

"Why? Money of course. You will pay me the required sums for the technology I give you, but it will be well worth the investment, I assure you."

"How much would this technology will cost us?"

Amann waved a hand.

"Oh, the technology itself...it is not for sale yet. I will instead sell you the devices and parts itself, which will be given to you upon payment."

G'Kar stroked his head.

"How much?"

Amann walked forward and set down a data crystal.

"For each set of artificial gravity devices, the price is 1.2 million Earth credits, and for each 100 standard armor platings, 1 million credits. From the looks of your ship designs, you probably will need about 300 standard platings per ship."

G'Kar paled, or as much as Narn equivalent of it.

"That... is quite an expense."

Amann nodded.

"Indeed it is, but high end war technology is always expensive. But the cost...will be well worth it."

G'Kar growled.

"I will say this...straight. What do you really want, Mr. Adar?"

Amann was impressed by the Narn Ambassador. He had dropped the hint in his tone of voice that he was open to negotiation, but he was still surprised at how quickly the Narn picked up that he wanted something else.

"Well, you are sharp, Ambassador. I am proposing an upgrade for the Babylon 5's defense systems. I will be the primary provider for the products."

The Narn ambassador nodded as if he understood.

"I know for a fact that you need the Council to vote for such expense... and I am guessing... You want my vote."

Amann tapped on G'kar's desk for a moment. Finally he spoke.

"That is exactly what I would want."

G'kar smiled.

"For my vote?"

"For your vote, Ambassador... discount of 10% on the products, with full technological transfer in 5 years."

G'kar shook his head.

"20% and 3 years."

Amann thought for a moment.

"Let's settle on the middle figure. Full technological transfer in 4 years, and 15% discount. I think that is a fair compromise."

G'Kar narrowed his eyes. Then he ran his finger across the table.

"How about you sell us the products at 15% but transfer in 2 years, for my votes and support of 6 of the non-aligned worlds."

Amann frowned.

"Technological transfer in 2 years...hmmm. Is it going to be for this one vote or for your votes from this point onward?"

The Narn chuckled.

"Do not be too greedy, Mr Adar. I will give you 2 more votes after this, but I will not vote for any motion against the best interests of the Narn Regime."

Amann narrowed his eyes.

"You are very intelligent, Ambassador. You look before you leap into the proposal. Very well, but I would like 3 votes after this one vote. You never know what I might bring to the attention of the Babylon 5 council."

"I will vote for you if it is the right thing to do. If it will be bad for the Narn regime, I will be against it."

Amann smiled.

"I assure you that I would not ask your vote on such cases, and I don't imagine such case to be... happening anytime soon. I think we have come to an agreement."

Amann held out his hand. The Narn ambassador took the hand and shook it. They parted with smiles on their faces.

* * *

Amann walked along with a smile on his face as he headed back to his room. He had many things to plan with all of the business deals he was conducting. If he played his cards right, he would be able to become one of the most powerful corporations in this galaxy ever, with vast amounts of resources within a year or two. He was entering the hotel when he spotted Janice sitting behind the counter. He walked over and gave her a smile.

"Greetings again, Janice. I take it you received my gifts a few weeks ago?"

Janice looked up and blushed.

"Yes, I did."

Amann nodded.

"That is good. I do have to apologize for my rather abrupt asking you out. It was inconsiderate of me and I spoke without considering what I was saying. I hope that you can forgive what I had said earlier."

Janice considered it.

"Yes, I can understand. You were distracted with your business. I had heard a fair amount of rumors about how fast you have expanded."

Amann smiled.

"Yes, it is expanding pretty fast. I would like to make up for what I said, perhaps over dinner? I can book a seating at the Fresh Air Restaurant. It would give you an opportunity to wear the dress I sent you, I could flatter you over some really fine wine and good food, you can laugh and smile..."

Janice laughed slightly.

"I get the picture, Mr. Adar. I accept."

Amann chuckled.

"Just Amann would do. So, when is most convenient for you?"

Janice thought for a moment.

"I get off work at around 4. I would want to relax a little bit and freshen up. Let's say 7?"

Amann nodded with a smile.

"That sounds about right. I will see you at 7 then."

Janice nodded with a smile as Amann walked away. He was an attractive one.


	9. Councils and Cops

**Addition Into The Circle**

**Chapter 9: Councils and Cops**

Amann sighed as he stood outside the Council Chambers, waiting in boredom for the Council to finish the issue they were discussing. He was tired of this waiting. Even the Lower Council back home didn't bicker this long. _Patience Amann, patience is the key, _Amann thought as he waited for the issue on his shield technology to be called. He heard Sheriden speak, since he was the council head.

"This council will now hear the proposal from Alesian Industries on a new defense technology to be used for this station."

Kosh visibly narrowed his visor. Delenn looked at Sheriden with a slight panic in her eyes as she took a peek at Kosh. G'kar's eyes swept the room as Amann entered. He noted Kosh's reaction and the small glee in Londo's face. Amann walked into the center of the chamber and straightened his suit.

"I am Amann Adar, of Alesian Industries. I wish to offer this station developing shield technology to be used for the defense of Babylon 5. It seems dark times are ahead and the safety of your lives will likely be at risk. My technology can protect your lives and everyone on this station."

Londo, prompted by the invisible cue, spoke.

"What kind of technology are we talking about, Mr Amann?"

"I am referring to energy shielding that will protect from almost all forms of weapons fire. Of course, the technology is fairly primitive and will fail after sustained fire, but it will take much more of a beating than unshielded ships will. This is my offer to Babylon 5."

Kosh opened his visor up. Then he spoke in a clear voice.

"No."

Then he walked out.

Amann blinked. He expected the Vorlon to abstain, but it was a minor annoyance. he still had enough votes to win. He waited as Delenn spoke.

"We do not see any necessary need to increase such armament to this station. If necessary, the Minbari will contribute ships to defend the station. If we begin to increase armament on this station, it may send a wrong message."

Amann spoke.

"Before you cast your vote, I would like to remind you this is a purely defensive technology. It will only ensure the survivability of Babylon 5, it cannot be used to attack enemy ships."

Londo stood up at that point.

"The Centauri Republic votes in favor of the proposal."

He sat back down. G'kar narrowed his eyes. He did not like the strut in Londo's voice. Then, to Amann's surprise, G'kar spoke... against Amann.

"Well, if the Centauri are for it, then we are against it. We can ill-afford an arms race."

Amann's head snapped to G'Kar. His face showed surprise, followed by a flash of anger. He did not expect to be betrayed. Then the clamoring among the non-aligned worlds began to mount against Amann. Even Londo and Sheriden were taken aback.

Amann nodded slowly as the League cast it's vote of No. He was deathly calm, but on the inside he was seething. The traitor would pay dearly for voting against him. Sheriden spoke.

"I would like to cast an affirmative vote for the Earth Alliance, but the vote is already against the resolution. Motion denied."

He slammed down the gavel and walked out. The rest of the ambassadors began to file out slowly, talking amongst themselves. Amann took one look at all of them and strode out, his face reflecting cold fury. He was going to have a "talk" with that backstabbing Narn. He was not amused. Not amused at all. He headed for the ambassadorial wing and waited outside. After a few moments, G'Kar rounded the corner. He saw Amann standing outside his quarters, and almost sneeringly spoke.

"Mr Adar, how nice to see you so soon after the Council."

Amann growled.

"You traitor. Where I come from, we shoot traitors against a wall. Get inside. Now."

G'kar growled.

"How dare you! I am the Ambassador of the Narn Regime!"

Amann grabbed G'kar by the collar and slammed him against the wall. G'kar coughed at the immense strength with which Amann used to slam him against the wall. Amann shouted in rage.

"We had a deal, Mr AMBASSADOR! I do not find it amusing to be... betrayed, and stabbed in the back. Did you think that I would not notice you influencing the Non-Aligned worlds?"

G'Kar coughed as Amann slammed a fist into his chest. He was about to respond when Amann opened the door with a wave of his hand. He frowned. That couldn't happen, not without hitting the button on the side. He was snapped out of his momentary reverie as Amann grabbed him again and threw him into his quarters. G'kar hit the floor painfully, sliding and rolling into the wall. Amann walked in and closed the door with another wave of his hand as G'kar brought himself to lean against the wall.

"We had a perfectly decent deal, with a lot of benefit for your people. Why did you betray me? WHY?"

Amann looked angry, angry enough that it made even G'kar flinch.

G'Kar tried to speak, but the breath was knocked out of him. He was dazed from the blow.

"You...had the Centauri agree...you offered them something..."

Amann's eyes blazed with blue rage.

"What does it matter what I offered them? Did you think I would be foolish enough to give them technology that would overcome you? What kind of stupid business practice it would be if you lose? I offered you technology that would make your people equal to the Centauri! Instead you blew it! You could have had an equal footing on par with the Centauri and also have a edge on some of the other races too!"

Amann glared at the Narn laying near his feet.

"Now you simply pissed me off. I will sell you the technology we have agreed upon. Still. But there is a catch now."

He started to pace before G'Kar.

"I assure you that you are not going to go unpunished, Mr. G'kar. Your government will pay triple the price we had agreed upon. Understand this... If you betray me again, there will be consequences that you cannot possibly imagine... beginning with the Centauri getting the same technology for almost nothing. Their ships would utterly tear your own fleet to ribbons. And that would only be the start of what would happen. I leave it to your imagination. Do we have a deal or should I go talk with Londo about putting armor on Centauri ships as well?"

He looked at G'Kar with something akin to dislike. G'Kar finally spoke after a moment.

"Very well..."

Amann nodded.

"Good. Then I am glad we are agreed. I expect the first payment tomorrow. I will ship the devices when payment is given."

Amann turned and walked out, opening the door with a wave of his hand. G'Kar could not understand how he could do that.

Amann breathed in and out as he walked along. He was still fuming over the betrayal of the Narn, but he was calming down. He realized that he could use a drink and headed off to the casino in Red Sector. He finally reached the casino and stepped inside, noting the activity. He even saw Londo on the other side of the room playing at some strange table. Amann went to the bar and ordered a a few minutes, Londo had noticed Amann, and with a strange smile, abandoned his game quickly and approached Amann, who was sipping his drink in thought.

"Well, Mr Adar... A bit crestfallen, I see. Do not worry too much, Mr Adar... I am certain that you will find clients far richer than Babylon 5. The Republic is very wealthy, and very interested in your technologies... Even if the Narns are too afraid of the Vorlons to agree to it."

"That may be so Mr. Ambassador, but the Narn has been...persuaded."

There was a tone of coldness that chilled even Londo to hear it. There was more to Mr. Adar than he thought.

"I see... but the Narn are an untrustworthy race... Cowardly and easily cowed by power and force... You did not show power that matched the influence of the Vorlons. Who could?"

"You would be surprised...there are other races besides the Vorlons out there, some even more powerful..."

Had Amann been paying more attention, he would have noticed the barman was a little shadier than usual. He would have also seen the hesitation of the barman's hand as he paused over the glass, or the small vial concealed within. Londo chuckled.

"I don't doubt that, this is a big galaxy after all... but for now... the Vorlons are the power here..."

"Yes...the Vorlons are..."

Amann paused as he downed the drink. The barman walked off.

"But won't always be...perhaps my technologies will shift the balance of power..."

Londo continued.

"You see, Mr Adar... the Centauri government is very willing to accept that 'shift' in the balance. We would love to purchase more of your technology..."

"Of course...as you might have guessed, my source of such technologies is alien in origin...which my scientists are studying and selling as our understanding of them grows..."

Londo's eyes glinted as if he found the right target.

"And how greater benefit it would be if our brilliant scientists could work together."

"Maybe...my scientists are doing well though..."

Amann left the bait out. He could make a few Goa'uld devices available, he mused. It wouldn't do much against his kind of technology...but it might be useful if the Centauri paid him enough.

Amann knew that he needed to make an opening in the Vorlon's influence in order for his plan to work. Perhaps a pretense of selling technology to the Centauri could make the Narns and others worried. He also needed to show power. He could easily provoke the Vorlons and destroy their ships but that would make an enemy of the potential allies in the Minbari and the Vorlons themselves.

Destroying ships of EarthForce or anything else would not be enough... he needed to show the power equal to that of Vorlons, both to terrify the Narns and their allies while showing that he, Amann Adar, is not to be trifled with. Amann racked his brain, then realized that perhaps show of force could work well with a political move. Using the Centauri to pressure the Narn, and manipulate the Narns politics to pressure G'kar.

Amann smiled at Londo.

"I will think on the scientists ambassador. The hour is getting a bit late. I do have an appointment at 7. It is nearly 5 now."

Londo smiled back.

"Of course, Mr Adar. I think Alesian Industries and the Centauri government can do great work together."

"Yes. Good day, Ambassador."

He gave the Centauri a polite nod and headed off. A man in the corner got up and started to follow him discreetly. He pulled out a small comm device and spoke into it quietly.

"Target is moving."

* * *

Janice was sitting at a table as Amann approached, her long hair done up in a bun and wearing a stunning strapless dress. She smiled at Amann as he approached, standing up to greet him. Amann greeted her with a smile. She really was pretty, and she did remind him alot about his wife. Her death still troubled him. Janice smiled and sat down again, folding her hands in her lap. She smiled at him a bit nervously.

"Mr. Adar. I must say I'm impressed. Reservations at the finest restaurant in Babylon 5?"

"Yes...well...It was the least I could do."

He smiled, albeit rather nervously.

Janice looked at the menu for a second, but when she realized he was still standing, she glanced up. She giggled slightly.

"Well sit down!"

Amann sat down at her suggestion. He was fairly nervous. He did not want to screw this up. He opened the menu up and looked through it. He decided on what he would have. Earth food had not changed all that much, and he had a liking for their food. The waiter came over to the table in a white suit and opened up the pad he was carrying.

"Something to drink?"

Amann paused.

"Hmmm...what sort of wine would you like, Janice?"

Janice was still looking through the menu, looking thoughtful.

"Some red wine would be nice,"

Amann spoke.

"The finest red wine that you have. Please."

He sat back as he folded the menu and put it off to the side. Janice smiled.

"So many things to choose from, I hardly ever get food like this,"

Amann laughed slightly. He decided on a fairly cliched line from his observations on Earth culture.

"Well, it does not do to have eyes bigger than the plate."

Janice laughed, setting the menu down.

"That's true."

Amann settled back in his chair.

"Well, we should probably get to know each other more. For instance, how did you get all the way out here from Earth? A bit off the beaten track, is it not?"

Janice smiled and leaned forward against the table.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story..."

Amann smiled at her.

"We got time."

Janice gave a mock sigh, then laughed.

"Alright then."

She smiled and slid forward a little so they were closer together.

"My father was a trader. He stopped her at Babylon 5 a lot, for obvious reasons."

Amann nodded.

"Understandable. He was a merchant and Babylon 5 is a port. Matter of fact, this is a prime place for economic success if you have the right technology and the right goods."

Janice said with a laugh.

"Yeah, no kidding, This place is buzzing with people and merchants from everywhere."

She smiled.

"Anyway, I went with him once I got out of college. And well, I just fell in love with the place."

She shrugged slightly. Amann crossed his hands in front of him.

"Interesting. This is an interesting place, especially for engineers and business majors. I wonder what you took in college. If I had to guess, it had to either be a business or a hospitality degree."

"Business, actually. Good guess!"

Amann smiled back at her.

"Well it was only logical after all. After all, you are a manager at a major hotel. I would try to guess your age, but if I am wrong, I do run the risk of offending you."

He smiled and put the charm on. A thing he had learned from O'Neill was how to apply a sharp wit and sarcasm.

Janice laughed and leaned forward, smiling teasingly.

"Go ahead, I will not get mad."

She grinned.

Amann sighed slightly and leaned forward until he was a few feet away from her across the small table.

"Well, let's see...you are one of the managers, but not THE manager yet. That probably means you are fairly new at the job. Perhaps a year or two. You probably were employed right out of college. You most likely went to college right after high school."

He continued.

"Most degrees are 4 years, sometimes 6 if you are getting a Master's degree. I would say...23 or 24."

Janice blinked at him, then started laughing.

"Wow, you are good at this. I'm 23."

Amann smiled.

"I am sure your life has been fairly interesting, what with a father stomping the space lanes in a trader ship."

She sighed wistfully.

"Yeah, it has been. When he got back he'd bring things from all over the galaxy for us, and tell us these amazing stories..."

"Well I would like to meet him. Sounds like a fascinating character. I knew a few traders as well, but they are a bit...crass, to put it delicately."

"Yeah, some of them aren't so nice. But my dad was great. He still stops by here occasionally. I'm sure he'd like to meet you."

"Well it is not so much that they aren't nice, it's more that they are rough around the edges."

Amann smirked.

"You probably get the idea. I am sure your father can relate."

"Yeah, he definitely can. It's not the easiest life."

"No it is not. I suppose you are curious about me. I was an unknown before my company exploded out of the woodwork."

Janice smiled.

"Well as a matter of fact, I am. So who are you, Mr. Adar?"

She giggled and leaned forward. Amann leaned back. He decided a lie would do with some mixing of the truth.

"Well, I was the only son of a few scientists myself. We traveled the galaxy on digs, looking through ancient cultures, civilizations, and ecological systems. The technology that I have that is revolutionary came from those digs and the like. My parents are dead, their ship was destroyed..."

"Oh..."

Janice gently reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. She whispered, sympathy in her eyes.

"I'm sorry,"

Amann nodded slightly.

"It is ok...It happened a long time ago. I did keep their notes and logs and their artifacts, which did help me found my business. I thought it was best to use what my parents left me to better myself and to do good with it."

She spoke, smiling gently.

"I'm sure they'd be proud of you,"

She hesitantly pulled her hand away. Amann spoke after a moment.

"Yeah, not much left to tell, unless you like details about digs, and the alien stuff we found."

"No, that's fine, But wow...that's impressive."

Amann beamed at her.

"That is very kind of you. It took me a while to understand the technology behind the alien artifacts, but I figured it out with some ease. I did study for a while and trained myself in engineering."

"My dad always helped me in business studies, but you had no one to help you. That is impressive."

"Well, colleges are overrated in all honesty. All it does is teach you to teach yourself. I did that on my own. In the end, college only gives you a slip of paper for pure bragging rights."

He smiled.

"A bit cynical, I know."

Janice laughed.

"Yeah, it pretty much is, but unfortunately you need one to do just about anything."

"Yes...unless you start a business yourself, like I did. And I seem to be raking in the millions, perhaps billions soon. I just got contracts with many major Earth corporations and the Centauri. I even started a Research and Development Department for EarthForce's needs."

Janice blinked at him, surprise on her face.

"Wow, that's big."

"Yes, and growing bigger. Soon, my company will be a powerhouse that will rival even the biggest companies. I even hired more people to take on the slack. The future is limitless for my company."

"Yeah, really. But wow, I didn't know you were that big."

She laughed.

"Well I gotta say this yet again, impressive!"

"Yes...but enough about business. It grows tiresome after a while. All work and no play makes for a dull day."

He smiled at her.

"I prefer pleasure to business. Business before pleasure only works when you want to get something done."

He realized how that sounded.

"Oh crap...err...that didn't come out right did it?"

Janice started laughing, putting a hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter.

"I-it's okay,"

Amann went red.

"That really came out wrong. Wow. Mind must be in the gutter...and I thought I could rise out of that."

Janice was still giggling slightly.

"It's okay, it's okay,"

She took in a deep breath.

"Wow, I haven't laughed that hard in months."

Amann shook his head.

"Well that is one positive. So err...what did you decide on having for dinner?"

Janice picked the menu up. She blushed a little.

"Would lobster be alright? I don't want you to pay too much..."

Amann laughed.

"It is no bother at all. I can easily afford it you know...heck, I might even supply the lobster to the restaurant. I am not sure yet. I have hired people to perform the logistics of the company now. It is too big to manage myself, so I am relegated to managing people."

Janice laughed.

"Alright, then, lobster it is."

"Steak goes good with it too. I will probably order one."

Amann smiled.

"I wouldn't want my date to feel unappreciated now."

Janice giggled.

"Well thank you, Mr. Adar,"

"Just Amann...will do..."

He smiled at her. Janice was taken aback at the gentle look he gave her now. She spoke after a moment.

"Okay, Amann,"

Amann smiled as the waiter came back. He placed the order and asked for a refill of their glasses. He even asked for the bottle to remain at the table.

"I like to pour the bottle myself at times. It makes me feel more cultured."

Janice sipped at her glass.

"Well you certainly do have class,"

"Well I try anyway. So what should we talk about while we wait for dinner to be prepared?"

Janice shrugged.

"How are you liking Babylon 5 so far?"

"So far so good. I have been expanding heavily on the station. I probably supply nearly 50% of the food shipments if not more now. Life is good."

He smiled as he relaxed. Talking to women on dates was not so hard after all. He didn't have to be nervous as a Legionnaire entering his first combat action.

Janice smiled.

"That's good."

She sipped her drink.

"Thank you for this, I'm really enjoying it."

"You are welcome. I haven't been on a date in a long time. I had wondered if I was doing well."

Janice laughed.

"You are doing fine."

"That is good."

They chatted idly for several minutes until the waiter came back with the lobster and the steak. Amann thanked the waiter and started to dig in, first putting his napkin in his lap.

Janice did the same, and started eating too. She chatted idly as she ate, laughing with him. Finally, both of them finished eating and the plates were taken away. Amann smiled at her as he poured the last of the wine in her glass. Janice smiled at Amann and raised the glass to her lips.

"Thank you,"

Amann watched her as she sipped it. She was beautiful, and the memory of his wife was strong, especially now. Janice set the glass down and looked at him. She went red slightly.

"You're staring at me, you know..."

Amann's pale face flushed red.

"I am sorry. I should probably not stare..."

"It's okay...I don't mind."

Amann nodded slightly as she finished the last of the wine in her glass as the waiter brought the check over. Amann looked at the bill and paid it, leaving the waiter a generous tip as he placed the napkin on the table and got up.

"Well normally I would escort you to your quarters, but might be a little pretentious on a first date."

Janice laughed and stood up as well.

"Very well, Amann. You may escort me to my quarters."

Amann held out his arm and Janice took it, walking along to her quarters. He chatted with her idly, enjoying her company. They reached a door near the hotel and Janice paused.

"Well this is my quarters."

Amann smiled at her.

"Well, I will talk with you tomorrow and I bid you good night."

He smiled as she gave him a kiss and entered her quarters. He walked along humming contently. The night went well. He reached his hotel room and used his key, entering the room. He put his coat on the table.

"Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Adar?"

Amann spun on the spot to find Bester sitting in a chair beside the door. Amann growled in anger.

"You. I told you I would kill you if you bothered me again."

Bester smiled.

"That you did."

Amann spoke forcefully.

"You will leave my room. Now. Or I will throw you out."

Bester got up and pulled out a stun gun.

"Tell me, Mr. Adar. How exactly do you intend to do that?"

Amann raised his hand and concentrated. He was surprised to learn his powers were suppressed.

"What the..."

Bester pointed the stun gun at Amann and fired. Amann cried out as the electrical charge stunned his nervous sytem and overloaded it. He collapsed on the floor as more Psi Cops entered. Bester smiled.

"Take him to the shuttle. We go to Mars. I will go speak with Captain Sheriden to let him know our business is concluded here."


	10. Eagle Down

**Addition Into the Circle**

**Chapter 9: Eagle Down**

Bester smirked as Amann was picked up by the bloodhounds outside and placed on a gurney. He would have to see Sheriden before he left of course, but he smiled. He had what he wanted and nothing could stop him. He walked out of Amann's quarters, fingering the powerful plasma pistol he picked up. It felt cool in his hand, but he knew how deadly it was.

Sheridan was working on paperwork in his office when he heard footsteps outside. He frowned and put the pen down as Bester entered the office with a smile. He was creeped out by the Psi Cop.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Bester?"

Bester smiled.

"I just wanted to say goodbye and to let you know that we have the rogue telepath in custody. We will be taking him to Mars, to be studied."

Sheridan frowned at that.

"Is that necessary? I thought this telepath was human."

Bester shook his head.

"He is human, but his telepathic prowess is the strongest I have ever encountered. Plus he is a powerful telekinetic. He is worth studying. I assure you Mr. Adar will not be injured."

Sheridan was taken by surprise.

"Your telepath was Mr. Adar? That is surprising, considering I was expecting a telepathic fugitive to keep a low profile."

Bester smiled.

"What better way to hide than out in the open, in plain sight. Mr. Adar was very skilled as a telepath, able to shield himself from our operatives and able to overcome them. He killed 5 Psi Cops with relative ease."

Bester smiled at Sheridan as he continued.

"We also believe he has been involved with espionage by spying on all of the diplomats currently onboard the station. We will be searching his shop and his quarters before we leave of course, for evidence of his activities."

Sheridan blinked in surprise at Bester. He could not detect the lie, but he was still suspicious of Bester.

"Very well, but I will have Mr. Garibaldi conduct the search. I would like to make sure no Earthforce secrets were compromised by Adar while he was here."

Bester narrowed his eyes, but smiled.

"Of course. But we will be having our people involved as well."

Bester walked out of the office and headed down the hall. A female Psi Cop was standing at the end of the hall. Bester spoke first.

"We will search his shop and his quarters to find the evidence he has on our activities. Tear it apart. Mr. Garibaldi will think we are searching for espionage data."

The Psi Cop smiled.

"The Corps is Mother."

Bester smiled back.

"The Corps is Father."

* * *

_A few hours later…_

Bester gritted his teeth as Garibaldi and his team searched everywhere in Amann's quarters. They had turned up nothing so far. Amann had packed very lightly, only some suits in the closet and a credit chit. Garibaldi turned around to Bester.

"There is nothing here. We searched this room twice and found nothing. Looks like Adar did not own much and whatever things he had were not stored here."

Bester growled at that.

"Very well. We will search his shop then."

Bester walked out of the quarters along with Garibaldi's team. Garibaldi sighed as he tapped the desk next to the bed. There was nothing here. He made to walk out as his hand slid across the table. He stopped and turned around. His eyes searched the table, but found nothing. But he felt an object there. He felt it and picked it up. He could not see it, but his hand told him it was there. Garibaldi frowned at it, not sure what to make of the object. He placed his other hand on the object. He almost dropped it as a female voice spoke.

"Access Denied. Level 1 clearance required."

Garibaldi looked around and pocketed it. He would take a look at it later, but not here. He certainly did not want Bester to find it, since he was sure that this device might hold some answers. Like where Amann came from, since a search of records could not find him anywhere. He walked out of the quarters and headed out of the hotel, his mind lost in thought.

* * *

Bester entered the shop. It was packed full of people as the clerks were busy serving people. He made his way behind the counter, despite the protest of the head clerk. Finally he turned around and spoke.

"I have a warrant to search this shop. Did you know your employer was a rogue telepath and therefore under our jurisdiction? Now move aside and we will handle it. Open the back room."

The clerk spoke.

"Um…no one is allowed back there. Mr. Adar forbade it. He said it would be dangerous for us. We don't ask questions."

Bester frowned and nodded to the bloodhound next to him. The bloodhound nodded and smashed his foot in the door, which splintered and crashed in. The bloodhound rushed in and cried out as a light engulfed him. He fell to the ground with a thump as Bester pulled out his PPG and cautiously made his way to the door. He reached out with his mind, but he felt no one in the room. He thought he heard some sort of high pitched humming for a second, but then it was gone. It had to be some sort of automated defense. He spun around the door, firing randomly into the room. To his surprise, the room was completely empty. Bester frowned. This was most strange. He sighed and knelt next to the bloodhound. He felt brain activity still, so the man was alive. Whatever hit him had to have been some sort of stun weapon. He was puzzled at everything. None of it made any sense. He gave up and walked into the main store. He turned to Garibaldi, who was standing nearby.

"Nothing was found, however I would like to interview all of his staff and anyone else who had contact with him."

Garibaldi nodded.

"I can arrange that. But there will be no mental scans. I mean it, Bester."

Bester smiled.

"No worry. We don't normally scan mundanes on a whim you know. We are disciplined telepaths, Mr. Garibaldi."

* * *

_6 hours later..._

Bester closed the folder he had in front of him. Hours of interviewing had turned up nothing that would help him. He still had one last person to talk with before heading back to Mars. He spoke with the Psi Cop standing next to him.

"I trust Mr. Adar is on his way to Mars right now?"

The female Psi Cop nodded.

"He is restrained and drugged up on the sleepers. He seems to burn through the drugs quite easily. We have to keep giving him daily doses, doses that normally would suppress a normal telepath for a week."

Bester smiled.

"I think this next person will be interesting to talk with. Please bring Miss Adeline here. She will be at the hotel."

The Psi Cop nodded. Bester waited a few moments as the Psi Cop returned with Janice.

"Miss Adeline. Please sit down. We would like to ask you a few questions regarding Mr. Adar. Are you aware that he is a rogue telepath?"

Janice was surprised to hear that. She spoke faintly.

"N…no."

Bester smiled.

"Well, he is in our custody now. He had killed 5 Psi Cops and we believe him to have been engaged in espionage. This has to be difficult for you, since you were seeing him."

Janice nodded numbly.

"He….he seemed nice. I had no idea he was that kind of person."

Bester nodded.

"There is no need to be afraid. Is there anything you could tell us about him? Anything about his activities?"

Janice shook her head.

"No….I had only started seeing him. He sometimes referred to how much money he was making, but it was only a vague reference and how he had planned to establish his business."

Bester paused for a second and shut the folder.

"Nothing at all?"

Janice looked at him clearly.

"No….I can't think of any.."

Bester smiled.

"Thank you, Miss Adeline. You may go."

Bester watched as Janice got up and headed out of the room. He spoke quickly to the female Psi Cop.

"Well?"

The female nodded.

"She is telling the truth. She is very distraught however. She did like him a lot."

Bester waved a hand.

"Not relevant. We will head back to Mars. Our work is done here."

* * *

_On Mars, a day later..._

Amann groaned at he awoke slowly and groggily. A distorted voice spoke.

"Wake up, Mr. Adar….."

Amann blinked his eyes open. All he could see was a bright light shining down on him. He tried to move his arms, but he found they were cuffed to the metal slab he was laying on. He turned his head to see Bester standing near him.

"You are awake. Good. We have some tests to run on you. These may hurt a bit. You will be of use to us, Mr. Adar. After we are done studying you, you will then be interrogated for the data you have on the Psi Corps. Your cooperation will allow you to live, otherwise you will be…..quietly disposed of."

Amann spoke, although it was weak.

"You do realize that I do not have the data. It is in the hands of others, that you cannot touch. Do you honestly think I would carry that sort of data around with me? I was wrong to underestimate you, but you will learn nothing from me. The best information you will possibly learn is my body itself. My secrets die with me."

Amann spat on the ground. Bester smiled.

"All in good time…...you will break eventually. We have ways."

Bester indicated the IV plugged into Amann's arm.

"That will ensure that you cannot use your powers to escape, and your formidable strength and speed will not suffice against the restraints. You are helpless here, and you have no rights since you are not human."

Bester smiled as a doctor rolled in some equipment and began to set it up. Amann glanced at the doctor and Bester, his eyes burning with hatred. Bester only smiled.

"Shall we begin?"

Several hours later…

Amann grunted in pain as Bester tried to force himself into his head again. Bester was getting frustrated as he tried to push inside. He turned toward the doctor.

"Why can't I see into his mind, Doctor?"

The doctor looked at the medical scanner.

"Somehow, his mind is structured to prevent easy intrusion, even with active suppression. His brain is almost fully active at just under 85%. His organs and body are also giving off a form of energy radiation. It is not harmful to us, but I never saw this kind of radiation before. He is part energy it would seem. I cannot explain it. He also appears to be genetically engineered, but the techniques are unknown and I cannot figure out how it was done."

Bester growled.

"I must rest. Make sure he is heavily sedated and a guard placed on him at all times. We will continue this tomorrow."

Bester walked out of the lab room in anger as the doctor disconnected his instruments and walked past the guard, who held a PPG rifle. Amann appeared to doze off from the drug, which relaxed the guard somewhat as he pulled up a chair and began to read a book. Amann's head lolled down as his arm shifted slightly to press the IV tube closed. It was only a matter of time now. Amann breathed in and out evenly, preparing for the fight that was to come.

_Several hours later…_

The guard was reading through his book still, disinterested as the prisoner slept quietly on the table. He did not see the needle slide gently out of the prisoner's arm or felt the small flicker of power that resulted from it. The only thing that warned him was the powerful blast that knocked him to the wall as Amann glared in hatred as the fallen guard. He concentrated as the restraints snapped off as he got up and took the PPG. Amann heard alarms going off as he heard the sound of boots coming from outside. He considered his options before he smiled and roared with fury, his body glowing blue.

"All that will oppose me….SHALL DIE! The eagle will strike you down and rip your eyes out before the kill!"


	11. The Talons Are Sharpened

**Addition Into the Circle**

**Chapter 11: The Talons Are Sharpened**

Amann smiled as the door was kicked in. The bloodhounds paused and aimed at him as Amann glowed blue with ascended fury. They fired at the glowing form of Amann, but their shots were merely absorbed by the entity as the voice of Amann echoed.

"Death awaits you!"

He blasted outward with a powerful shockwave, throwing the bloodhounds to the ground and destroying their minds. The wall of the room blew out into the corridor, killing the bloodhounds outside as Amann returned in his physical form, although still glowing blue as he walked out into the corridor. He stepped over the broken bodies as he transversed the rubble strewn corridor. He spotted a wounded bloodhound on the ground, groaning with pain. Amann casually flicked the rock pile off the man and stood over him.

"You will survive this, human, if only to be a witness to my power. Observe."

Amann raised his hand as the wounded man was lifted off the ground and floated behind the Alesian. Amann walked along the corridor, lightning flowed from his hands as he encountered Psi Corps personnel, frying them in their tracks. He raised a shield up as the Psi Cops fired at him with PPGs along the corridor. Amann paused as the shots hit his mental shields as he searched among the group for Bester. With anger, he scanned them telepathically. He spoke almost to himself.

"So Bester is hiding from me is he? The shuttlepad..."

Amann reached out a hand and clenched his fist tight. The Psi Cops screamed as their PPG's exploded, the weapon discharges burning them horribly as Amann strode past them without concern. He would deal with them later. The bloodhound could only watch helplessly as he floated past them, the Psi Cops flailing blindly as they bumped into each other. He was horrified to see that they were all blinded by the discharges. Amann's voice trailed ahead of them.

"Forget them, human. They will be dead in a few minutes anyway. I have a very important appointment with a man named Bester. An urgent appointment. Your Psi Cop friends are of little interest to me, but they will serve as an example to those that even think of opposing me. I offer the carrot when it suits me, and I give the stick when I deem it necessary."

Amann opened the doors to the cells as he went along, freeing the rogue telepaths imprisoned inside. He spoke to each one, barely pausing in his tracks as he opened more cell doors.

"Follow me and you will be free!"

The numbed prisoners did not resist as they walked behind Amann as more Psi Cops and bloodhounds made to bar his way, but all attempts were futile as Amann mercilessly killed them where they stood. Amann shook his head.

"What a waste of life, and I offered them my silence in exchange for their ignorance of my activites...Now they just had to get involved, and push me to this..."

Amann paused as he made his way to the observation dome. PPG blasts peppered his shield as he fired off more shockwaves and lightning bolts, quickly eliminating opposition. Amann ran to the window just in time to see two shuttles taking off. His powerful mind reached out and found Bester on the farthest of the two. Amann was incensed. He was already out of range to kill him. Amann smiled as he reached out a hand and pointed the tip of his hand at the nearest shuttle flying away.

"Fall."

He threw his hand down violently. The shuttle lurched wildly as it spun out of control, impacting the nearby mountain range as Amann looked around. Almost everyone on the base was dead already or had fled. He turned to the bloodhound and flicked his wrist, sending the man smashing into the wall.

"Your use is concluded...sleep well."

Amann turned to the group of rogue telepaths standing huddled next to him.

"You are all refugees fleeing from the control of the Psi Corps. You are oppressed and downtrodden to be only the unwitting slaves and tools of this organization. Join me, and you will never fear them ever again. I am Amann Adar. Some might have heard of me, even heard rumors of my power. What you saw here today proves those rumors true. I will protect you from the Psi Corps."

Amann took a deep breath as he looked around. They seemed interested, although they were a fairly ragged group. There were roughly 20 of them, of mixed age and gender.

"In exchange, you will help me with my purpose. I will feed you and take you in. You might not live a life of luxury, but it will be comfortable somewhat and you will be far better off than under the Psi Corps. You will also get the chance to aid your kind and free them from the Psi Corps. It is your choice! If you wish to join me, you may begin by changing your clothes and getting off the Psi Cop uniforms. Infiltration is the best way out of here."

Amann turned to a Psi Cop lying nearby. His neck was broken, but his uniform was damaged. Sighing, he stripped the corpse of the clothing as the others around him did the same. Modesty was irrelevant as all of them just wanted to escape. Even with this alien. After a few minutes, Amann adjusted the name tag on the uniform. It read Snipes. Amann looked around at the newly attired bloodhounds and Psi Cops.

"Good. Now that is settled, we will make our way to the nearest civilian port and board one of their shuttles. Just follow my lead and act like minions. Easy enough. Do not be afraid. Just a blank face. Don't even acknowledge others. I will do the talking if we get into trouble. Now follow me."

Amann walked along, floating the unconscious bloodhound he knocked out. Amann smiled as he put the man on a transport tube and sent him off to the farthest away city. He would be found long after they were gone. One of the telepaths spoke up.

"Mr. Adar...I..."

Amann turned toward the speaker, a female around 30 years old. He instantly read her thoughts

"Mrs. Gardner, you have doubts about my intentions and you fear I would use you as slave labor. No, you will be well cared for, even given powers far beyond what you currently have. I do not condone slavery. My words are sincere and so is my intent. You could compare me with a historical figure like Oskar Schindler at least where telepaths are concerned, although my purpose is greater in terms of what I want to do. Suffice to say that my purpose is in everyone's best interest."

The woman blinked at him in shock. Amann sighed.

"Look, you don't have to join me. No one does. This is purely voluntary, but your best chances of survival and getting off this base are much greater if you do come with me. We don't have alot of time. This base's power supply is about to go off soon, obliterating everything in a 10 mile radius. I suggest we move before it does."

The woman nodded and walked off. Amann formed up the little group and headed for the transport tubes, piling into the small transports as they accelerated out of the Psi Corps base to the nearest city.

* * *

_Several hours later..._

Amann exited the tube quickly with the rogue telepaths in tow. Each of them were doing exactly as he had advised, looking stern but unconcerned with the mundanes. Amann was at the head of the little group as he made his way into the commercial port. He went to the ticket counter and purchased tickets for all of them for Babylon 5, courtesy of the dead Psi Cop's credit chits. He came back with all of the tickets and handed them to each one.

"Get on the shuttle, do not speak to anyone. Stay together. We will be fine once we get to Babylon 5."

The telepaths all nodded as they filed in line toward the shuttles. Amann felt confident until the security officer accosted him when it was his turn to board.

"Halt!"

Amann looked at the man and sized him up.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The officer spoke quickly.

"I have to see some ID. You fit the description of a fugitive from the Psi Corps. I have orders to detain anyone fitting the description."

Amann waved his hand slightly.

"You don't need to see my identification."

The man blinked at him. Amann spoke again.

"I am not the man you are looking for."

The man blinked and nodded in understanding. Amann lowered his hand.

"I can go about my business?"

The officer spoke.

"Yes you can."

Amann nodded.

"Move along."

The man waved.

"Cleared. Move along! Move along!"

Amann walked past the security officer, who looked fairly dazed by the exchange as he scanned the next person in line. Amann breathed a sigh of relief as they boarded the shuttle. They would be alot safer when they reached Babylon 5. His mind reached out and scanned around, wary of any fighters or ships that might try to stop them before they got to the jumpgate. Thankfully, no one tried to stop the shuttle as it entered the swirling vortex of the jumpgate. A voice spoke over the intercom.

"Next Destination: Babylon 5. Arrival time will be in 8 hours."

Amann closed his eyes and waited. Things would get really interesting once he reached Babylon 5.


	12. Eagle Nest

**Addition Into the Circle**

**Chapter 12: Eagle Nest**

Amann was alert with his senses as the transport traveled through hyperspace on it's way to Babylon 5. It was strange, that his senses were magnified by hyperspace by a great margin, and his mind was able to reach vast distances. It was a strange feeling to him, since he normally used ship sensors while in hyperspace, which were usually far more accurate and far reaching than his own mental senses. But he did not have that luxury now. His mind reached out cautiously, scanning the swirling vortex of energy for other ships. The other telepaths shifted nervously in their seats. Amann leaned to the woman next to him.

"Mrs. Gardner...there is nothing out there. I am scanning everywhere for other ships...and I detect none."

The last was a lie. He thought he detected another ship, but it was there only a moment. He sighed. If it was pursuing him, then he would have had constant contact with it. It was of little concern. Moments later, the ship shuddered as it opened an exit point and exited out of the jumpgate within sight of Babylon 5. Amann sighed with relief as the intercom beeped.

"We have arrived at Babylon 5. Prepare for arrival. Docking time in 20 minutes. Please depart in an orderly manner."

Amann adjusted his Psi Cop uniform. He realized that the others were safe in their uniforms for the most part, but people would recognize him on the station. He concentrated hard. After a moment, he smiled slightly. The other telepaths frowned and looked at him, but could barely see him if at all. He spoke mentally to the rest.

_I am bending light around myself to conceal myself. People will recognize me easily on the station and I must accomplish a few things on station before we depart for Alesia. Things that require my invisibility. Proceed to Docking Bay 94 and await further orders.  
_

The other telepaths nodded as the transport flew into Babylon 5's bays and landed in the station. Amann walked off the shuttle, with the rest of the telepaths in tow. They entered the line that was queing up to get past security. Amann grimaced at the mental power to blend light around him. He couldn't keep it up eventually, but he would last. He had to in order to survive. The Alesian strode right past the security guards, hurrying past the checkpoint as fast as possible. Looking around, Amann ran toward a lift and entered it, keeping calm as he felt his mental power being drained. Trying to keep his power from being hidden and hiding his physical form was taxing, even for an Alesian half ascended. Finally the lift opened and Amann walked out of the lift in Red 6, heading toward his room in the Ritz.

Easing into the entrance of the hotel, careful to avoid bumping into people, Amann made his way past the desk. He saw Janice at the front desk and almost called out to her before he stopped himself. He spoke to himself. _Focus on the mission, Amann. Your personal feelings will kill you if you let them._ Amann edged past the lobby and entered the corridor. He ran along the hallway, careful to keep his noise level down. Seeing Room 6, he skidded to a halt. Swearing to himself, Amann realized he did not have the key to enter the room. He sighed with resignation as his mind screamed at him. _It probably was changed already. Brute force it, you moron. Move! It has an alarm probably, but you can be in and out before they know it, and then you are gone._ Amann concentrated and waved his hand slightly, decloaking in the hallway as the door wrenched open. Amann ran into the small room, which was thankfully empty and went to the desk by the bed. He felt along the surface for his jumper controller. To his horror, it was not there. He swore out loud as he scanned the room mentally for it. It was not there. Amann paused for a second, unsure of what to do next when he heard a hum coming from behind him. Amann turned on the spot to find Garibaldi pointing a PPG at him. The look on his face was serious.

"Hands up, Mr. Adar. Keep them where I can see them. I know of your abilities, and I can shoot before you can use your power."

Amann nodded slowly. He contemplated taking Garibaldi down, but that would cost him dearly, when he needed allies.

"Very well, Mr. Garibaldi. I will not resist. What do you intend to do?"

Garibaldi kept the PPG pointed at him.

"The first thing you will do is follow me to a holding cell. You will most likely be questioned. You are a rogue telepath that the Psi Corps is after. While I am not fond of the Corps, they did make the accusation that you also hold espionage secrets about EarthForce and that is a security matter, one I am in charge of."

Amann blinked.

"That last charge is not true, Mr. Garibaldi. I have no need to learn EarthForce's secrets. The technology my company owns is far superior to what EarthForce has. Yes, I am a telepath, and a telekinetic, but I am no spy."

Garibaldi gestured with the weapon.

"You will accompany me to a holding cell. You are also charged with murder."

Amann smiled slightly.

"All in regards to self-defense. While the Psi Corps is in charge of all human telepaths and they are the law in regards to them...I am not human and therefore do not fall under their jurisdiction. They know this, because I told Bester that and they still pursued me. Their actions are the illegal ones, and I have sensitive data in regards to their black operations, data that can destroy them if i wish. This is the true reason why they are after me, and the fact they wish to study me."

Garibaldi narrowed his eyes at the revelation.

"You are not human? You look human."

Amann nodded slowly.

"I suppose I look it, but I am not. Where I come from, we made humans in our image. We are the first evolution of our species, and you are the second evolution. I do not know if that is the case here, but I am from a parallel universe..."

Garibaldi paused.

"You mean...like one of those old sci-fi shows?"

"Sort of I suppose. I have seen some of them, and that is very close to the concept. Now, if you will excuse me..."

Amann made to walk past Garibaldi, but he kept the PPG pointed at Amann.

"You still have to come with me."

Amann looked at the weapon closely.

"Your weapon is inert. I already drained the energy from it. You may fire it now."

Garibaldi pressed the trigger and the gun clicked empty. Amann smiled slightly.

"As you can see, inert. Know that I can easily kill you any time I wish, unarmed as you are, but I do not want to do that. Lower your weapon and we can talk, very simply, as one person to another. Let us walk out of here peacefully, and we will talk in your office. I think you should summon Captain Sheriden as a matter of interest. It is time you know the truth of what I am and my purpose here is, for I require your aid, and you most likely need my own."

Amann walked past Garibaldi and held the door open for him.

"Coming? Lead on to your office and use your link."

Garibaldi frowned as he walked along with Amann out of the hotel. Amann's Psi Cop uniform got glances from the rest of the guests, as well as Janice, whose eyes were wide open. Amann gave her a polite nod and smile, just to show he was alright. His voice echoed in her mind. _We will talk later. I must sort some things out. Perhaps later tonight, if you wish. I will contact you._

She nodded slowly as he passed her with Garibaldi, who was talking into his link. Finally, they entered his office, where Sheriden was already waiting. Both men sized each other up before Sheriden spoke calmly, although Amann could tell the man was angry.

"Garibaldi tells me that you deny the espionage charges against you, as well as several other things. Perhaps you mind explaining to me what the hell is going on?"

Amann began to explain quickly, filling in Sheriden on how he arrived to this universe, how he made his money, and what he really is. Sheriden nodded at certain points, but was shocked at the tale. Amann finished an hour later with his story.

"It is quite simple, Captain. I am here because Void Keeper wants me here. I suppose to it, I am a plaything, meant to do battle with some other plaything it will bring here. I dislike the idea, but here I am, and I might as well accomplish other things. I need ships, men, and resources to combat this new evil, and I need allies as well. That is what I have been doing the past few months, gathering financial and economic power in order to form a new political entity, one that will leave the other species in peace while safeguarding them. I will aid you in your fight, for I know that you are...less than satisfied with the current administration, but you have not had the...proof you require to persecute Morgan Clark. I believe I have much of that proof recorded from the secrets I took from Bester."

Amann paused.

"I am willing to hand over a copy of the data to you, in exchange for your immunity that you may grant to me as military governor of Babylon 5, and allow me to use this station as my headquarters. I will also take precautions, such as bodyguards and security systems in my quarters. I won't be making that mistake again. I will also guarantee the safety of this station when I have the means to do so actively. For now, I will input several defensive measures, such as defense shields that I once offered before. This will ensure that Babylon 5 is protected. You may also speak with the Minbari, since you and Ambassador Delenn are close...and get her to vote yes on the revived proposal that I will send. The Centauri and Narns will fall in line, just as I told you."

Amann sat down and waited.

"It is your decision, Captain."

Sheriden spoke after a moment's hesitation.

"Very well, Mr. Adar. We have a deal."

"Good. Then, if you will, I would like my controller back...Garibaldi."

He turned toward the security officer with a piercing gaze. Garibaldi looked startled before reaching into his desk drawer and pulling out the invisible object. Amann took it from him and decloaked a white pad with crystal buttons and a holoscreen. The voice spoke.

"DNA scan complete. Level 1 access authorized. Welcome back, High Councilor Amann."

Amann smiled.

"Stand by for orders, NABIS. I will be departing soon enough. The need for secrecy from station security is over. I assume you were listening the whole time."

The reply was smug.

"Of course, High Councilor."

Amann grumbled.

"No need to be so smug...just ready the jumper for departure and make sure the next shipment of telepaths arrive as scheduled on Alesia. Also arrange for the telepaths I brought with me to be shipped there as well."

"It will be done."

Amann paused as the voice went silent.

"Well...that settles it then. I have a personal matter to attend to, and then I must stop by Alesia, one of my hidden worlds, to see how things are progressing. With luck, I will be on schedule."

Amann held out his hand to Sheriden, who took it with a firm grip. Amann nodded approvingly.

"If you will excuse me, I will send over the data we agreed on. I can also send you data files regarding my people and me if you wish, to a certain classification limit, just to put your mind at ease. Violent takeover is not our way, and it is ridiculously inefficient to form a new Empire out of violence and slaughter. Better to offer the carrot than the stick."

Sheriden spoke.

"I suppose so, Amann. The Narns and Centauri are at war since you were gone. The Centauri provoked a war, and the Narns responded with a declaration."'

Amann was surprised.

"That is...not good. That threatens the balance of power, and it is disruptive to my plans. I will deal with them in due time. The Narns must not fall to the Centauri. It is vital to my plans all parties are at peace rather than war, and the Centauri started to get delusions of power because of the technology I have supplied them. Hopefully the Narn can stop them while I build my strength...I must check Alesia at once. This is troubling...I may need military power sooner than I originally planned..."

Amann gave a small nod as he walked out of the office. Garibaldi turned toward Sheriden.

"You don't suppose he is telling us everything?"

Sheriden frowned at the door.

"I do not think every detail, but he was giving us general details, which make more sense than him being what he appeared to be before he told us. I am inclined to believe most of what he says, but not his stated intentions. We must be cautious."

Amann headed toward the Ritz, taking the time to change clothes in his shop, which was still running. Fortunately, he had people under him that legitimately ran the business for him in his absence. But they were in the dark in regards to the company's true intent. He tightened the security of the backroom, after making sure the beam generator was put back into place from where it had beamed into the jumper. He walked along in his business suit, satisfied that most of his business was taken care of. It was time to see Janice. He spotted her heading out of the hotel, dressed casually. He headed her way with a small smile.

"Hello Janice...it is good to see you again."

Janice looked toward him rather coldly.

"I do not have anything to discuss with you, Amann. Please leave me alone."

She turned to walk away. Amann frowned and walked beside her.

"We do have alot to talk about Janice, alot more than you realize."

She turned toward him in a cold fury.

"You lied to me! You were a telepath, and the things that the Psi Corps told me about you...they are all true, aren't they?"

Amann paused.

"What have they told you? Undoubtedly a few of them are true. I will tell you which ones are and which ones are not...and then I will tell you things that they do not know."

Janice looked toward him in disbelief.

"They...told me you killed 5 Psi Cops...that you are guilty of espionage and all sorts of crimes."

Amann spoke gently.

"I did not commit espionage, Janice. I have killed Psi Cops, and I killed many more in my escape. All of which were in self defense. They had no right to make me a laboratory specimen to be dissected like a frog."

Janice flinched as Amann spoke coldly.

"I do not even fall under their jurisdiction. I am not even human, or at the very least, not your particular branch of it."

Janice was shocked at the revelation. Amann continued.

"Yes...I am Alesian...not Terran. I am of a species of human that is far older than the offshoot of Earth, and far more advanced. Millions of years of evolution over the current human species on Earth. I have much to tell you, Janice. It could take the whole night. But know this, whatever feelings we shared were genuine. I...do like you. Alot. You deserved the truth from the very beginning, and I am sorry for hiding it. I wanted to protect you, to shield you, but I am the one at fault. Will you come with me and listen to everything? I will hide nothing from you, if you wish. All you have to do is say yes."

Janice remained silent as her eyes found his own. Amann nodded.

"If you wish to break things off...I understand and will respect that. But I owe the truth to you."

Janice took a deep breath in.

"Dammit, Amann...the last week has not been easy on me!"

Amann smiled slightly.

"It hasn't been a cakewalk for me either. Will you listen?"

Janice nodded slowly.

"I will do that..."

Amann smiled at her happily.

"Let's go to your quarters first...but we won't stay there."

Janice led him on silently, neither one of them speaking, but they were holding hands as they entered her quarters. Amann pulled out the jumper controller.

"Hold still slightly. You won't feel a thing..."

He hit a button as the two of them were engulfed in light and beamed to the Jumper orbiting Babylon 5. Janice gasped as the Jumper as Amann walked to the cockpit.

"NABIS, set course for Alesia."

The hologram appeared as NABIS spoke amusingly.

"Yes, Councilor...who is the guest?"

Amann smiled and gestured toward Janice.

"This is Janice. Janice, this is NABIS, an artificial intelligence unit that networks all Alesian assets together."

NABIS nodded amusingly.

"Welcome aboard, Janice. I see the good Councilor does have an eye for pretty women."

Amann went red.

"Stow it, NABIS."

NABIS chuckled.

"I could tell her all about you, Amann, and what you used to do before you had a wife."

Amann interrupted her.

"Now now!"

Janice interrupted.

"You had a wife?"

"Well yes...but she is deceased now...I will explain it all...and NABIS, hush..."

NABIS grinned as she decided to annoy him.

"For instance, he used to make frequent forays with the Drow females on our world. He was quite fond of them too."

Amann put his head into his hands as Janice laughed at the antics of the AI.

"Ugh...you can catch up later with gossip...for now...I have to tell her everything that has happened. Can you do that?"

NABIS smirked as the jumper entered hyperspace.

"Sure."

Amann sat back in his seat, explaining to Janice much like he did to Sheriden, as well as details of his homeworld and his culture. She sat next to him, wide eyed at the story. Amann concluded his story with a shrug.

"So anyway...here I am...in a universe I am new in...and you know everything there is to really know. I hope to rescue more telepaths like myself, for they will be the backbone of my covert organization. Hopefully we can take in more of these refugees from Psi Corps, which are outright evil and make black operations have a good name."

"Wow...that is...alot to take in..."

Amann nodded at her astonishment.

"Indeed it is."

The console beeped as NABIS spoke from the computer.

"We are approaching Alesia as requested."

Amann smirked.

"Good. How many telepaths have been smuggled to the world."

NABIS replied after a few seconds.

"9,784 men, women, and children. Only 5,917 are between 18-40 years of age. A few dozen are arriving now, smuggled onto cargo shuttles. The telepath railroad is quite efficient."

Amann nodded.

"Yes...it is good enough for now. That will be the proto-Legion I have been wanting. See to it that the training begins at once for those that volunteered for the Legion program. Augment them with our genetic engineering techniques, and make sure they are well-fed and well-housed. That will make them feel happy. Have they been shown the required materials?"

"Yes, Councilor."

"Then they are aware of everything. Give the older ones things to do. Setting up mining sites, and overseeing construction yards and the like. I want them able to build things, to work for the company. Make sure whatever needs they request are provided. Some will farm, others will produce. We have quite a growing colony here. In time, we will also have children born here. It is the nature of people to take mates and reproduce. This is excellent."

NABIS nodded as Janice looked on in fascination.

"Yes. Exiting hyperspace now."

The Jumper exited hyperspace smoothly over a massive blue world. Amann smiled.

"Sorta reminds me of home, but not quite. It is a bit smaller than Alesia, but it is deserted and habitable to human life. There are other difference, but it is heavy gravity, and it suits our purpose well."

Amann noticed several orbital structures as well as a few defense platforms.

"Ah...the shipyards are almost complete?"

"Yes Councilor. Shipyards 1-4 are complete and assembling ships. Shipyard 5 and 6 are 80% complete. Shipyard 7, 8, and 9 are only 15-20% complete. The fighter assembly plant is completed, as well as the jumper factory. The Predator factory is 35% completed, but we are awaiting the shipment of naquadah and trinium, as well as neutronium.

Amann nodded.

"The stargate network will be set up soon, within a few weeks. We rely on ships for now, since they transport far more resources, but the stargate will allow people to travel, and allow us to dispatch troops and jumpers for localized defense. We have 6 worlds in our possession right now. Two of them are known to the rest of the galaxy. One is Xarxes III, once a small Centauri colony. It provides agricultural products as a front to my company. Tarsus III is the other known colony, and they produce Earth based products to sell to the rest of the galaxy. The rest of our worlds are unknown, and are the true power of what the Alesian Empire will come to represent."

Amann looked toward Janice.

"I hope this is not scaring you, for my Empire is peaceful and does not wish to take over anyone. I have spoken to and given my word to many government officials on such matters. Even formed defense pacts wit Babylon 5."

"This is all new to me, Amann, but I believe your sincerity."

"That makes me glad, dear..."

Amann leaned in to give her a kiss on the lips. She returned it hesitently, her arms coming around his back. Finally, they broke away with nervous smiles as NABIS tut-tutted.

"Now that is over with, lovebirds...I think you want the report on the 4 ships in build..."

Amann nodded as the jumper over flew the skeletal shipyards. He was surprised to see a long shape that was unmistakable.

"Is that what I think it is?"

NABIS smiled.

"Yes. Only the keel is laid down, as well as main engineering and the bridge. The rest of the _Angelan_ is not complete. Only 5% of her structure and systems are completed. It will be 3 or 4 months before she is ready. The Aurora-class ship _Galadriel_ will take 2 months to complete. The Javelin-class cruisers _Astria_ and _Starfire_ are 50% complete and will be ready for test trials within 2 weeks. They are only 400 meters long, and much easier to complete, Councilor."

"Yes...that is good. We can project power in an emergency."

Amann gazed at the 8000 meter long Alesian destroyer with a smile.

"It feels like home..."

He turned toward Janice.

"I would like to ask if you want to quit your job and work to develop this new world. We could meet your father and make him a rich man. You would benefit quite well, dear. And well...I would like you to join us."

Janice looked slightly nervous before she smiled.

"I think I will..."

Amann smiled.

"Good...NABIS will do most of the directing. She is really good at advising and updating you. Couldn't function without her, as it were."

NABIS gave a self-satisfied smirk.

"Why thank you, Councilor. You aren't quite a dolt as some people I have had to deal with."

Amann grumbled.

"Your wit is razor sharp as always..."

Amann and Janice chatted idly, watching the planet and the shipyard as they discussed plans among each other. It would be truly a golden dawn soon enough.


	13. Trials and Tempests

Authors Notes: Please rate and review. I know I took 3 months to update, but school and work were holding onto my time, plus I had to write a massive chapter for Golden Dawn. But now this story will resume! :D

* * *

**Addition Into the Circle**

**Chapter 13: Trials and Tempests**

**Milky Way Galaxy: Inner Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Home Region / Alesia Sector / Alesia III**

**The Berian Incident: Day -12**

Amann stood alone on the second floor balcony of his new home on Alesia, his brown eyes sweeping the small city that had recently sprung up. He was reminded heavily of his exile from the Lantean Empire, all those years ago. When he had founded the Alesian Empire with the followers that had placed their faith in him. _So long ago, yet feels like yesterday. Where did those years go?_ He mused to himself as he stood, his hands resting on the stone railings. _Well, I will build an Empire, just like I did before. I loved my people and my homeland. I wanted to see our species rise again like the once-powerful Alteran Empire of old, to reclaim the destiny we had, that we deserve! We are guides to the lesser races, and we can show them a path greater than they can dream of! I hope so anyway…_ Amann smiled to himself grimly. He believed his inner thoughts to be true, but doubts always gnawed at him. A voice spoke behind him.

"Amann?"

Amann turned to regard the dark haired woman standing behind him. She was outfitted in a simple white dress that flowed down to her ankles. Amann gave her a small smile, but his heart felt like a rock. She looked so much like his dead wife. He knew he still loved her, even after all of this time.

"Janice. You look beautiful…"

Janice blushed, the reddish tinge contrasting with her pale features. She liked his smile, the one he always seemed to reserve for her, since she never saw him smile like that for anyone else. Despite that, she noticed the flicker of pain in his eyes. It was there for only a moment, but she saw it.

"Thank you…you are rather handsome yourself."

Amann smiled at that, but it was a sad smile.

"Well, I was not always. I was genetically engineered, you know. Something you had the pleasure of experiencing if I am not mistaken."

"Yes, I wanted the benefits that it offered me. I know I am stronger and faster. Better than before. It was a logical choice, Amann. You told me when you tried to convince me that mankind always seeks to better himself. Why not literally try to do so?"

Her reply was answered by a polite nod.

"Yes, I remember you saying that after all. Would you like to eat dinner tonight here? This house is still rather large and ornate for my tastes, even though it is an exact copy of my home in the country. My daughter lived in that house and took care of it for me."

Amann's voice drifted off.

"Such happy memories and yet, there are sad ones too. I raised my children in that house…"

Janice looked at Amann with concern. There was a distant look in his eye, as if he did not notice her standing there. She was surprised to see tears forming in his eyes. Janice walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Amann?"

Amann blinked as his eyes met hers.

"Oh….I am ok. I am fine."

Janice shook her head.

"No, you are not….listen to me, Amann. I love you. I know that you are a lot older than I am, but I am no fool. I know there is pain in your life, pain that haunts you even now."

Amann blinked at her. For a moment, Janice thought she had reached him behind his shell, but she was wrong as his face composed itself. It was like staring at a stone wall.

"I am fine, Janice. Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary. I am ok."

Amann gave her another sad smile, but Janice didn't believe a word of it. Irritation crossed her features as she vented at him.

"Damn it, Amann! You can't hide the pain behind your defensive shell forever. It will destroy you inside, and then you will be of no use to your people!" She yelled at him angrily as Amann flinched away from her.

Their eyes met, locked together for a few moments. Sighing in frustration, Janice threw her hands in the air in and walked away. He could be so stubborn sometimes. It was like he never opened up to anyone. A fact that maddened her. A small voice spoke behind her as she reached for the door controls.

"What choice do I have?"

Janice turned around and stared toward the balcony. Amann was standing there, his eyes to the ground. Something had changed in him.

"What do you mean, Amann?"

Amann sighed.

"What choice do I have to be besides being ok? To be anything other than strong for my people?"

Janice watched him wordlessly as he walked inside and sat on a sofa. She hesitated before following him to sit next to him. Amann spoke quietly.

"I have to lead by example Janice….people do not follow a broken man. They respect strength and courage, not weakness. The strong survive and the weak perish. Alesians know this better than anyone."

"But I am not Alesian." Janice's voice was as hard as steel.

"No, but you are as good as one." Amann's voice sounded small. Janice stared at his face from where she sat. After a long period of silence, she forcefully spoke.

"Do you know why I agreed to the enhancements, Amann?"

Amann sighed.

"Why?"

Janice reached over and cupped his face with her hands.

"Because, you stubborn fool, I knew I would get telepathic abilities with them, and that is what I desired most of all. I….I wanted to share our minds, our innermost thoughts."

She turned his head, her face inches from his own.

"I wanted to know you, to feel what you have experienced. I love you, Amann. I know you care about me as well, but you hide behind your shell, keeping all of your pain locked inside. I want to help you."

Amann ran his hands nervously together as he stared into her eyes. It was a while before he spoke.

"Do you really want that? The things I have done. You have no idea how much it shames me. How many nights I've tossed and turned in bed, the nightmares that return to me. It is enough to drive anyone mad. I have experienced billions of deaths in my memory, as punishment for my crimes. I never want to share that with anyone."

Amann closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, as if trying to clear it from his mind.

"No, I cannot inflict that on anyone. Especially you….not after what I have done."

Janice leaned in and gave him a kiss.

"Share it with me….please. I want to know you fully."

Amann opened his eyes and stared into her own. He breathed in and nodded.

"Ok, but….don't think badly of me when you see it. It is something I am not proud of."

Janice held her breath as she felt his mental defenses lower. She waited a moment and dove into his mind. She was staggered by the vastness of his memories. They rushed through and over her, the vivid images whooshing by at an accelerated rate. It was all over in a few moments as she pulled out of his mind and gasped. Amann clutched his head and groaned.

"I hope that you can forgive me. For what I have done."

Janice was holding onto Amann's shoulders as she gasped for breath.

"I can forgive you…..you paid for your crimes Amann. You feel remorse for your mistakes, and we all make those mistakes. But you did more than that. You saved everyone in your universe from terrible enemies. I saw everything in your mind, and I see good in you. Not evil."

Janice leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Amann's eyes widened at that, but his hands traveled up her back as he drew her body closer to him. Janice deepened the kiss, her hands fumbling for the clasps of his robe. Amann groaned slightly at that, his hands sliding the straps of her dress down her shoulders and feeling down her bare back. The dress pooled at her feet, the robe joining it a moment later as Janice fell on top of Amann, giggling as she kissed him passionately. The last thought that ran through Amann's head was how beautiful she was before they joined together.

* * *

_Two weeks later…_

**Milky Way Galaxy: Inner Rim**

**Minbari Federation: Home Region / Minbar Sector / Minbar VII**

**The Berian Incident: Day 1**

Satai Coplann stood on the balcony in his simple white robes, gazing over the crystalline cities of Minbar. His heart swelled with pride at the majesty and might of the greatest of the younger races. Truly, his homeworld was the center of the mightest and most powerful race, besides the First Ones. He sensed someone behind him and turned quickly, seeing a Minbari in armor standing in the doorway respectfully. He waved a hand as the Alyt saluted and bowed his head.

"Alyt Neroon, it is good to see you once more. How does the Star Riders Clan fare?"

Neroon spoke, his deep voice nevertheless commanded respect.

"They fare well, Satai Coplann. They are ready to defend Minbar with their lives if needed."

Coplann nodded graciously.

"As should be expected. What news do you bring for me, Alyt?"

Neroon spoke as he handed over a data crystal to Coplann, who took it and input the crystal into the dataport.

"I have news that might be disturbing. Reports from our border outposts have reported several unknown ships in the past few weeks skirting our border. We at first thought they were human transport ships, but although superficially designed to look like them, they are not human. We have found odd anomalies regarding these ships. The specifics are on the data crystal, but the most disconcerting thing is we have detected sensor scans that are too powerful to be coming from human designed ships, no matter how similar they are in appearance."

Coplann frowned.

"Is it possible these ships are designed to look human as a disguise while they scan into Minbari space?"

Neroon nodded.

"We think that is the most likely explanation. They are most likely not human in origin, but they do look similar to their civilian transports. To spy on us….for what purpose, and more importantly, for who?"

Coplann sat down and mused.

"This can be dangerous. We cannot allow a potential enemy to scan our defenses uncontested, but destroying one of the ships is not enough. No, we must know who is doing it, to better figure out if they are a threat and if they can be dissuaded or neutralized."

Neroon hesitated before speaking.

"I have an idea, Satai Coplann. If you will permit me, I will dispatch one of our ships to shadow one of the vessels, follow it to where it lands, and report back. We can then order the ship to surrender and inspect the crew, determine who they are, what they want, and what is their intentions toward the Minbari."

Coplann's eyes narrowed, the shrewd mind at work to find any flaws in the plan or things he may have overlooked. Finally, he nodded.

"You may send one of your ships to follow one of the transport ships."

"It shall be done, Satai Coplann."

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Inner Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Home Region / Minbar Sector / Minbar VII**

**The Berian Incident: Day 1**

Space turned peacefully over the planet of Berian, named after the famous planet and battle of the Alesian-Tok'ra war, the most devastating war in Alesian history. In this universe however, it was a mere factory world that regularly received shipments of ore to produce small items for Amann and his growing population of refugee telepaths. A blue vortex of hyperspace energy opened over the planet, revealing a cargo ship as it exited the window. Automatic commands flowed through the unmanned ship as it began the process of beaming down ores for the factory. It did not notice as a vortex opened, the swirling energies ripping at the surrounding space as an angelfish shaped ship jumped in behind the cargo ship.

Onboard the Minbari warcruiser _Ingata_, Shok-na Nalan stood on the bridge proudly, his armor reflecting his status as commanding officer of the Minbari ship. He turned to the warrior next to him and spoke.

"Status of the ship, Shok-nali Gane?"

"All systems are functional, Shok-na. The ship is ready for battle. Unknown ship is directly ahead. It appears to be directing an energy beam at the planet. For what I cannot be sure."

Nalan sneered.

"Hail the ship and tell it to disarm, shut off engines, and surrender immediately in preparation to be boarded. Failure to comply will result in certain destruction. Transmit."

The crew did as they was told, the message broadcasting to the cargo ship. The ship ignored it, as it was programmed to do. The ship continued on its programmed mission, beaming down ores in a mindless way. Nalan seethed as it failed to comply. He was a Minbari, of the warrior caste, and this mere transport ship ignored him like he was inconsequential.

"Shok-nali, disable that ship if you can, but if it becomes a threat, destroy it. I want to analyze that ship, and then scan the surface of the planet below. I want to know what is down there."

"It will be done at once!"

The _Ingata_ powered up her neutron beam cannons and locked onto the cargo ship, which still ignored the warcruiser as if it was not there. The yellow beams lanced out and struck her hull, instantly destroying the cargo ship with their powerful weapons. Nalan sneered at the easy kill.

"Good, what is on the planet?"

"I am reading energy sources down on the planet. We are reading some sort of energy barrier that was raised the moment we fired on the cargo ship. It is also transmitting some sort of message, but it is encoded. We cannot break the code at this time."

The Minbari warrior paused thoughtfully.

"It is plainly obvious what the signal is. It is an alert, a call for reinforcements to aid this complex. Fire on the planet below and destroy it. I will not fight a battle on two fronts."

The Minbari cruiser hovered in orbit as it turned it's neutron cannons on the planet and fired down on the complex shield with it's powerful weapons. The shield flared orange from the impact of the yellow beams, the Goa'uld style shields withstanding the initial blasts from the Minbari ship with relative ease. But the shield was weakening from the shots as the AI monitoring the complex alerted NABIS that it was under attack.

* * *

**Milky Way Galaxy: Inner Rim**

**Alesian Empire: Home Region / Alesia Sector / Alesia III**

**The Berian Incident: Day 1**

Amann was busy piloting the jumper carefully over the newly completed Alesian cruiser _Starfire_, inspecting the 400 meter long escort ship with a studied eye. The _Starfire_, like it's sister ship _Astria_, had just undergone it's shakedown cruise. Robert was sitting in the chair next to him with an awed look.

"She is a beautiful ship, sir. She has had her engines and reactor tested I take it?"

Amann smiled grimly as he looked at the emblazoned gold eagle on the side of the sleek cruiser.

"Yes, she has. No one mistakes who our ships belong to. And she is yours to command, Robert. At least until the AES _Galadriel_ is complete in 2 months. Then you get to command her. This is a mere escort cruiser for our larger battleships, but for now, these 2 cruisers are our only ships along with our 12 jumpers."

Amann noticed a message blinking on the console and hit the button. Scanning the text message quickly, he frowned as red crept into his cheeks.

"Dammit! Legate Robert, you will accompany me onboard the _Starfire_! We have an intruder in our space. Berian is under attack by what appears to be a Minbari ship. Damn them!"

Amann started piloting the jumper toward the cruiser's small landing bay as Robert fastened his legionnaire armor tighter. Amann was swearing under his breath.

"Damn those Minbari! I thought they would remain in their own borders. Not attacking our planet!"

"Pardon me, sir, but isn't it likely that the routing of the transports near their border is what provoked them?"

Amann's head snapped toward Robert, his eyes gazing into his subordinate's face.

"A likely assumption, but we had no choice. The only other viable hyperspace routes would have been through either Centauri or Narn space, and I am not about to risk our transports going through a warzone right now. No, I counted on the Minbari to remain neutral and isolationalist, using their reputation and their unknowing protection to keep my ships from being challenged. But the Minbari forced my hand. We will take the _Starfire_ to Berian and challenge them."

Robert spoke up.

"Sir, the Minbari are the most formidable out of the younger races. Would it not be prudent to take both cruisers along?"

Amann shook his head as he landed the jumper.

"No, because I want to keep _Astria_ in reserve in case this is a diversion, an attempt to draw our forces away to attack a more critical target like Alesia. The defense grid is online, but it is not sufficient to ward off an attack without supporting ships. No, we must keep the _Astria_ and the jumpers here for now. Alesia is the entire nexus for the Empire currently, and if that falls, my plans are ruined."

Amann opened the jumper door and strode out of the small fighter bay. Robert followed closely behind Amann as they headed toward the bridge. The two Legionnaires that stood to the door of the bridge saluted as Amann passed by them.

"High Councilor on the bridge!"

Amann stood near the command chair and sat down. Amann looked around at the small, cramped bridge at the dozen crewmen manning the stations. With a touch of the chair controls, Amann activated the intercom and began to speak, his voice echoing throughout the ship.

"This is High Councilor Amann Adar. I am assuming command of the _Starfire _in response to an emergency situation. We have a Minbari ship attacking one of our planets in the Berian system."

Amann paused as he gave orders to the bridge crew.

"Helm, set a course for Berian, maximum speed."

A sigh followed as Amann resumed speaking.

"I know you are all new to starship operations and only half trained, and that you are nowhere near ready to function as efficiently as an Alesian crew. I guess you will have to grow up a little bit sooner than expected. But for now, you are all that I have. I expect you to perform your duties to the best of your abilities. Amann out."

Amann deactivated the intercom and sat, composed in thought as Robert leaned down to speak in Amann's ear. There was a small lurch as the cruiser entered hyperspace, traveling toward Berian.

"Sir, an excellent speech, but we are only half armed. The only weapons currently are the 2 Ion cannons and half of the light laser turrets, and the light lasers are only useful for point defense and fighters. We have no drones, which are our primary armament."

Amann nodded.

"Yes, that is a problem. Transfer the drones in the Jumper and slave them to fire control. That will give us 12 drones to fire at the attackers. I will take over sensors and direct where we should fire. Our lack of an experienced crew will just have to be answered by superior technology. In time, our crews will gain experience."

Robert nodded as the helm officer reported.

"My Lord, we are coming up on Berian. Scans report the presence of one ship in orbit. Minbari. Sharlin class warcruiser."

Amann tapped a few buttons on his console.

"Excellent. We know what we are up against. Drop us out 10,000 kilometers from their position. We will tell them to leave our space at once."

After a second, the officer reported.

"We are in position."

Amann gave his orders calmly.

"Drop us out. Open a channel."

"Channel open."

Amann leaned back in his chair as the holoview showed him the bridge of the Minbari ship. Amann was calm as he spoke coldly.

"This is High Councilor Amann Adar of the Alesian Empire Ship _Starfire_. You have committed an act of war against the Alesian Empire by intruding in our space and attacking the ship and the complex on our world. You will withdraw at once. Fail to comply, and I will blow your ship into atoms to be scattered into the stellar winds. You have 30 seconds to comply."

* * *

Onboard the _Ingata_, the reactions were mixed between surprise and rage. Nalan was angered at being ordered around by a mere human, but he was more surprised when it was reported the tiny human ship had a power signature rivaling his own warcruiser. He replied angrily.

"Your ship intruded on our border, human! We ordered your ship to surrender and it refused to do so! You think you can challenge the Minbari?"

The pale human sitting in the center chair answered him with contempt in his voice.

"We can and will. Our ships did not intrude in your space, they skirted your border. You have 17 seconds. Withdraw or die. Your choice. 14 seconds."

Amann turned and spoke to Robert, who was sitting in the Fire Control station.

"Arm the drones."

Robert flicked a few switches and buttons on his console and reported.

"Drones ready, sir!"

The Minbari captain snarled at Amann.

"You threaten us with hostile action, you shall be destroyed!"

"Your time is up. Die well."

Amann snorted as the comm channel was shut off.

"Bonehead. Robert, they are arming weapons. My sensors report their ships run on gravimetric drives, although they have a stealth system which will cause accuracy problems."

The ship shuddered as the neutron beams struck the shields of the _Starfire_. Reports were coming in quickly.

"Shields down to 90% and falling!"

"Enemy fighters are launching, sir!"

Amann started shouting orders.

"Robert, fire half of the drones at the enemy fighters, and half at the enemy ship. The rest of the fighters will have to be dealt with by our point defense. Ion cannons, fire at the fin of the Sharlin! We want her unable to maneuver! Evasive action!"

The _Starfire_ darted forward as 12 yellow flecks of light emerged from the fighter bay and flew toward the _Ingata_ and the cloud of approaching fighters. Explosions dotted the cloud of fighters as half of the fighters exploded. The 6 remaining drones flew toward the center of the ship, 5 of them smashing into the fighter bays and sensor arrays of the ship. The last drone impacted near the bridge of the ship, killing half of the bridge crew as the explosions rippled through the bridge. The ion cannon bolts from the rapidly closing _Starfire_ missed the _Ingata_ by a hair's breath as Robert swore.

"Their stealth system is making me miss by an inch!"

"Shields down to 82%!"

Amann was busy concentrating on directing the rest of the ship as he snarled at Robert impatiently.

"Then walk the shots in! Don't always rely on their energy signatures; use the gravity readings as well! There is a reason our sensors rely on targeting multiple readings from a single target!"

Robert nodded as he corrected the aim of the shots, walking the ion cannon shots until he saw 3 of the bolts impact the lower right fin of the _Ingata_, blowing the fin off as the Minbari warcruiser careened away from the _Starfire_, unable to maneuver or orient itself to target the Alesian cruiser. Amann smiled as he saw the remaining Minbari fighters die in a shower of red laser fire.

"Good, the fighters are dead. Robert, finish them off. Blow that ship into atoms."

Robert nodded as he targeted the central part of the Minbari ship, firing a barrage of Ion cannon fire with unerring accuracy.

* * *

Onboard the _Ingata_, things were looking bad as Nalan clutched his head from where he struck the console. His gloved hand was stained with blood as he looked around as his mostly dead bridge crew. One of the last surviving Minbari on the bridge reported frantically.

"Shok-na! Our gravimetric drive has suffered heavy damage! We cannot maneuver and our jump engines are down! Systems are failing across the ship and they seem able to burn through our jamming and stealth systems!"

Nalan growled.

"Send a report and log to Minbar! We will die with honor!"

Nalan clutched the console as the ship shuddered underneath the final Alesian barrage of ion cannon fire. There was a flash of light, a roar of noise, and for the briefest moment, Nalan thought he could see the shape of an angel before the curtain of darkness overtook him.

* * *

Amann watched as the _Ingata_ exploded with violent force, scattering debris in all directions as the _Starfire_ flew through it toward the planet. Amann listened to the reports of battle damage for a few moments before he tapped the intercom control again.

"Very good people. You handled the first test of your abilities well. There were some mistakes, but experience and further training will lessen that significantly. A full report will be printed at 0800 tomorrow for your perusal."

Amann sighed as he disconnected the intercom and leaned back as he talked to Robert.

"The complex is destroyed. It is not a major setback, but it will take at least 2 weeks to rebuild and repair. Now we have a problem with the Minbari, since they are likely to be pissed at the destruction of their ship."

Robert nodded.

"Yes, sir. Um….sorry sir, for not realizing about the sensors."

Amann waved a hand.

"It is ok. You just need practice with the ship's systems, as does everyone else here. For a green crew, you did well enough, and we survived our first battle. After this, we will be training nonstop. We will beef up all of the combat training as well, since I get the feeling we will need it in the future. Now, plot a course for Babylon 5. The cat is out of the bag, and there is no sense in hiding anymore. We will establish ourselves diplomatically now that our presence is known."

"It will be done, Councilor."

Amann sighed and leaned back in his chair as the cruiser entered hyperspace toward Babylon 5. This was going to be a very long day.


	14. Empire

**Sorry for the long wait, but I had been very busy with life and the rewrite for Golden Dawn. I have 8 to 9 chapters done for that. And I realized I haven't updated this story in 10 months. I decided that a chapter must be written and here it is.**

**I hope you like my new style of writing. It is a change from what I was used to, and let me know via reviews how you like it.  
**

* * *

**Addition to the Circle**

**Chapter 14: Empire**

Ivanova stood at the window in command and control, typing in commands on her console.

"Earth Transport Three-Seven, you will hold position. A Minbari flyer is ahead of you." She barked at the console.

"Ma'am, jump point forming in Sector 37! Enormous energy signature, unknown configuration." Lieutenant Corwin reported, his knuckles white on the console.

"What? Hail them!" Ivanova said as she brought up the image from the security bot nearby. The ship was relatively small, only four hundred meters long, but the menacing dagger-like shape gave no doubt as to the purpose of the ship. The energy readings rivaled that of a much larger Minbari war cruiser.

"This is Commander Ivanova of Earthforce, state identification and intent." She said tersely, trying to quell her unease at the presence of such a powerful ship. The reply was clipped and short.

"This is the Alesian Empire Ship _Starfire_ to Babylon 5. Prepare for arrival of diplomatic personnel." Ivanova was surprised at the reply as the speaker clicked off.

"Comms have been terminated." Corwin said as he fiddled with the controls. "Shall I alert the captain?"

"Yes." Ivanova said after a moment, her mind coming to terms with the information. She watched on the sensors as a tube like craft exited a small hole in the bottom of the ship, flying toward the station.

"Babylon 5, this is Jumper Two. Requesting landing clearance for diplomatic personnel."

"Hold station." Ivanova tried to stall due to the traffic coming through.

"My passenger is not accustomed to waiting." The reply held an implied threat.

"You will wait until the lane is clear for your entry point." Ivanova said, annoyed at the arrogance of the reply.

"My passenger says that is not acceptable. He is familiar with your enormous delays and will find an alternative method of boarding." Ivanova hated the smug reply that came over the channel.

"What do you mean, alternative method of boarding?" Ivanova said suspiciously.

"Standby. Commence beaming. Beaming complete. Diplomatic personnel onboard, returning to the _Starfire_." The reply clicked off as Ivanova growled in frustration. These Alesians were infuriating.

"Ma'am, the shuttle is returning to the cruiser. Detecting energy signature in Red Six."

"Security to Red Six." Ivanova ordered quickly. It was only a moment before she heard a reply.

"Security to CnC. Found the intruders. Five of them, dressed in strange armor. One has identified himself as the leader and is requesting to be escorted to the Council Chamber for diplomatic negotiations."

"I will alert the captain."

* * *

Amann stood impassively as the four legionnaires stood at attention around him. Or rather, the humans dressed as legionnaires, Amann thought, his eyes sweeping across the hall. Legionnaires were elite super soldiers at the height of the Alesian Empire's power, trained for a decade in the harshest conditions imaginable. They were given battle experience in every conceivable environment. But that was the old Empire. Now all he had was some refugees. It would have to do.

While their training was subpar to the brutal training regimen and indoctrination that real Alesian legionnaires underwent, the human telepaths still had the benefit of Alesian technology and genetic engineering. Amann knew he couldn't afford to waste ten years to train new legionnaires to Alesian standards. Superior technology will just have to answer for inexperience. He needed soldiers, and not a moment too soon. His interests were threatened before they could be fully realized.

Before Amann could decide on what to say, he saw Captain Sheriden enter the room. Amann turned to fully face him.

"Captain Sheriden, thank you for taking the time to see me. I apologize for my abrupt entry, but circumstances warranted it." Amann said smoothly, a politician's smile on his face.

"I would say so. Ambassador Delenn told me the Minbari warrior caste are screaming for a full out strike on the 'upstarts'. Her words." Sheriden said hesitantly.

"Some people will not learn. She still does not know of my people, does she?" Amann questioned Sheriden, his eyes thoughtful.

"No, we haven't had a chance to fully inform everyone in our circle." Sheriden answered.

"Then I shall do so. I would like for you to convene the Babylon 5 council in one hour. I will introduce the Alesians as a power to be reckoned with. I believe we can kill two birds with one stone." Amann said softly, a plan forming in his mind.

"How?" Sheriden said, seeing the shrewd glint in Amann's dark eyes. Beneath the mask of formality, Sheriden saw a predator, a dangerous foe to be reckoned with. He knew in that instant that Amann would use any means to get what he wanted. He felt a trickle of cold sweat drip down his back as Amann gazed back, his eyes analyzing the human captain. Something seemed to pass between the two men before Amann cleared his throat.

"Resolving two conflicts at once. You shall see. I must prepare myself, figure out what I will say." Amann said with a cold smile, turning away and gesturing to his bodyguards. "All in good time, captain. All in good time." Sheriden watched the Alesian as he walked away, noting the strangely armored soldiers as they followed their leader with precise steps. It seemed they had military training. He had been told how the Alesians ran their empire from Amann's own lips, but seeing a glimpse of it sent a shiver down his spine.

* * *

Sheriden stood in the Babylon 5 council chamber, his demeanor stiff and formal as the alien delegates filed in and took their seats. Londo was the last to arrive as he took his seat.

"I assume you have a reason for summoning us here, Captain?" He grumbled, his irritation showing through. "I was in the middle of an important affair when I was commed to come to an unscheduled council meeting."

"As a matter of fact Ambassador, there is a good reason. We are joined by a delegation from a previously unknown group, who wishes to speak with the council." Sheriden said smoothly before continuing. "As military governor of Babylon 5, I have agreed to convene the council and listen to what they have to say."

Footsteps echoed outside the door. As everyone turned to meet the new sound, two white-armored soldiers walked in and stood at attention as another man walked in behind them. Londo frowned a bit at the dark-haired, pale human.

"But, they are human, Captain." Londo managed to get out.

"Not quite, but for all intents and purposes, our kind was the first evolution of mankind, while humans are the second evolution of our kind." Amann said smoothly, striding forward to stand in the center of the chamber, his footfalls echoing loudly throughout the room. Londo froze as he recognized the voice. It couldn't be. He looked different, dressed as he was in all of the armor. There was a cold, regal bearing around the businessman now, no trace of the unassuming insect that had offered the Centauri the technology to conquer its enemies.

"You were the one that offered Babylon 5 energy shield technology. You are a human businessman!" Londo exclaimed.

"Very good, Ambassador. But appearances can be deceiving." Amann said, regarding the Centauri with an arched eyebrow.

"I am not human. Yes, my name is Amann Adar. But my title is High Councilor of the Alesian Empire." Amann's words rang throughout the chamber. The stunned silence continued for several moments before Londo scoffed.

"Very funny joke, Mr. Adar. But I think the great and noble Centauri Republic would have heard of your Empire if it existed." Londo gave a sneering smile.

"A joke?" Amann said quietly, his tone icy cold. "I assure you, Londo Mollari, that the Alesian Empire is quite real, and commands real power. Ask the Minbari." He nodded toward Delenn, who looked confused.

"What do you refer to? I never heard of the Alesian Empire either."

"I believe the Minbari warrior caste is up in arms about the 'upstarts'." Amann said, a tone of amusement in his voice as he raised his fingers to air quote. When he next spoke, the amusement was gone.

"They sent a war cruiser into our space. We told them to leave and they refused, so we destroyed their ship." Amann regarded the Minbari ambassador, who eyed the Alesian warily. Amann allowed a moment to pass before speaking again.

"I have come here to resolve two issues that are of concern to the Empire. The first one is the Minbari intrusion into our space. Unauthorized intrusions will not be tolerated and will be asked to leave or be destroyed. Minbar would be wise to not provoke a war with my government. Do I have your agreement?" Amann tapped the desk in front of Delenn, watching her intensely.

"I will speak with my government." Delenn said softly.

"Good. Which brings me to the second reason why I am here." Amann paced in front of the table.

"For months now, I have seen the reports of the conflict between the Narn Regime and the Centauri Republic. Both powers are clients of the Alesian Empire, entered into business contracts with my people." Amann stated neutrally, looking at all of the delegates.

"We feel that since the Centauri have effectively beaten the Narn fleet back to their homeworld, that the conflict must cease. I bring you a message of peace from the Alesian Empire. We are willing to mediate the current conflict and hammer out acceptable terms to both sides. " Amann eyed both ambassadors.

"Enough blood has been shed. Let go of your feud and allow us to rebuild both your peoples into a new era of greatness and prosperity. We can even integrate you into the Alesian Empire as protectorates to ensure that peace is maintained." Amann said softly as he extended his hand out in a gesture of friendship.

"Join us, and let us rebuild what has been lost in this savage conflict. Help us forge a new order where we can all build a glorious future for all involved species." Amann watched G'kar and Londo, hoping they would accept the terms and rise above their differences.

"No." Londo said flatly. Amann was not surprised.

"No to what, Ambassador?" Amann said coolly, knowing instantly what Londo was thinking.

"To all of it! The Centauri Republic will not bow to the demands of a backwater power, if it even exists at all. We know you are a rogue telepath, and that you have a band of rogue human telepaths that follow you. Your cult is in no position to make demands." Londo sneered at the Alesian, who remained unfazed by Londo's outburst.

"When those rogue telepaths and others like myself control technology far beyond your wildest imagination, I think you will find we are in a position to enforce those demands. A small escort cruiser, by no means a high end Alesian battleship, was responsible for slagging a Minbari cruiser with minimal damage." Amann said glacially, his demeanor changing abruptly as he continued. His posture became threatening as he planted both armored hands on the table and leaned in, his face mere inches from the Centauri ambassador.

"When those very same ships can exterminate all life on a planet down to the last microbe, burn the atmosphere off, and boil the oceans dry until nothing remains but a slagged and glass surface. What power do you have that can compare to the kind of hellish power the Alesian Empire can unleash? Fortunately for you, the Empire has rarely done this in the course of over twenty two thousand years since I have been alive. I founded the Empire on the concepts of order, prosperity, and strength, not genocide." Amann said coldly, his voice inflecting the likeness of the arctic wind.

"All lies! We would have heard of you by now if you had such power." Londo blustered arrogantly.

"Perhaps we wanted to keep to ourselves, Ambassador. Perhaps we didn't want to be found." Amann lied, his tone giving nothing away. It was an enormous bluff, portraying the Alesian Empire stronger than it appeared. While the Empire was as strong as he said, it was only that strong back in the dimension he came from. Here, it only had a handful of planets and barely the ships to protect all of the Alesian assets, Amann mused, taking care to not let this information leak to the rest of the delegates. In time this would change, but not for a while.

"You are a liar. I cannot believe that this council gave you the time of day to hear this ridiculous demand." Londo said with derision.

"So you decline any effort on our part to mediate a ceasefire? You will continue the war until Narn is underneath the Centauri jackboot?" Amann said with a raised eyebrow.

"We will continue the war until the Narns are no longer a threat. The Centauri Republic will not stop until Narn is back under our control, and we will make sure the Narn are never a threat to us ever again. Which it will be in a matter of weeks!" Londo spat on the floor as he stood up. Amann tapped the desk as his eyes locked with Londo's own. A cold, calculated expression flitted across his face for a moment before Amann inclined his head slightly.

"Then I fear I cannot guarantee the survival of the Centauri fleet should it attack Narn." Amann said simply.

"Is that a threat?" Londo demanded angrily.

"Not a threat. A promise. The Alesian Empire will not stand idly by while its interests are threatened. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that our interests are maintained." Amann said forcefully, his voice raised for the first time. Before Londo could reply, Amann cut him off.

"And in case you were thinking about discarding our agreement, know that I will simply sell shield technology to the Narns or anyone else that wishes to get an edge over the Centauri, for a discounted price. I know of your government's plans to attack the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Your mind practically screams it." Amann grinned ferally as the delegates shot looks of hostility toward Londo, who looked rather shocked at the revelation. He had discussed the possibility with Lord Refa before, but that knowledge was classified at the top echelons of the Centauri government.

"Did you actually believe that you could fool them once the Narns were bowed before you in defeat? A most clever plan, Ambassador, but ultimately the number of enemies you will create will spell the end of the Centauri Republic. I listed my terms. Attack the Narn homeworld at your own peril." Amann gave a little nod before he spun around and walked out of the chamber, his cape swirling behind him as the legionnaires followed. Sheriden sighed heavily. This did not go well.

* * *

Amann walked along the hallway, his guards forming up on him as he headed away from the council chamber. With an issued order, he found himself back on the bridge of the Starfire.

"How did it go, Councilor?" Robert asked, brushing off a fleck of dust off his armor.

"About what I expected in all honesty." Amann replied heavily as he took the command seat on the small bridge. "The Minbari will back off with Delenn's recommendation. The Centauri are too arrogant to back off and will attack Narn. I want every available ship sortie once the sensor nets pick up the Centauri battlegroup insystem."

"Yes sir. Councilor Janice has sent word. She reports that the city is nearly complete, and that more refugees are arriving insystem. It seems your legend among the rogue telepaths grows daily, Councilor." Robert noted.

"Yes, my influence will soon be enough to challenge the Psi Corps for the rights to the human telepaths." Amann said shrewdly. "But the time has not yet come. What of Project Redeem?"

"It will take a few months before the test subject is mature enough." Robert replied crisply.

"Good." Amann turned to give orders to return home. "Does Janice send anything else?"

"She sends her love." Robert said, noting the softening of Amann's expression. It lasted for only a few seconds before Amann's expression reformed.

"Very good. We shall be at Alesia within a few moments." Amann tapped a button on the console next to his command chair and brought up a holographic image of the galaxy.

"Sir? May I ask who the test subject for Project Redeem is?" Robert asked curiously. It was a moment before Amann replied.

"A great Alesian warrior. One that can truly lead our armies into battle. In time, more will follow, once we can reconstruct their full genetic sequences." Amann said softly, a cruel smile forming on his lips. It chilled Robert to the core as he watched Amann. "The galaxy will know and fear the military prowess of the Alesian Empire soon enough."


	15. The Eagle Strikes

**Addition Into The Circle**

**Chapter 15: The Eagle Strikes**

* * *

Amann sat at his desk in his office on Alesia, reading the reports of the continuing development of Alesia and its new Empire. Janice walked in at that moment, her white robes flowing behind her. Amann looked up at her and smiled.

"Greetings, Councilor."

"Really Amann, should we be so formal with each other?" She said with a twinkle in her eye.

"I suppose not. Being the Councilor of Science and Administration does tend to lead to a lot of formal discussion." Amann said with a chuckle.

"And what is your role?" She said, leaning down to give him a kiss.

"Same as in my old Empire. I commanded primarily the military and security forces of the Empire. Intelligence also reported to me as well. I dealt with internal and external threats." Amann said, waving his hand around as he continued..

"In the early days of the Empire, that meant I was onboard ships more than I was home, conquering the early parts of the Empire before we decided to peacefully assimiliate planets in the Empire. We once were arrogant enough to think we can militarily conquer everything that got in our way. The Asgard knocked that out of us." Janice knew the history of course, but hearing it from Amann was a new experience.

"The hero on horseback conquering his empire in the saddle?" She said with amusement.

"Hardly a hero. Heroes do not ruthlessly destroy those that threaten his people. Morality is never black or white. It is very gray." Amann said morosely.

"I know that. I know something of the universe, even if I lack the experience you have." She shot a smile at him, and he smiled back tentatively. Both of them felt something pass between them and reveled in it. Janice knew that Amann could be cold and ruthless much of the time, but she viewed it as a challenge to draw forth compassion and tenderness from him, for it made those moments worth far more than a thousand moments from men who gave it easily. Little did she know this was how Amann's ex-wife viewed her husband.

Amann, for his part, loved Janice for her understanding of his nature. Her acceptance of him meant the universe to the cold Alesian. He would do anything to ensure her happiness and safety. If he had to face down every nasty horror the universe could throw at him, he would do so instantly. Janice lacked the fiery and argumentative nature of Lucia, but that just made her different from her. Amann had thought about it for a while, and concluded that it was a good thing, for he would always remember Lucia. He shot another smile at Janice.

"Well, you shall gain that. Over the centuries." Amann looked up as a legionnaire walked in and saluted.

"Sir, I have a priority report for you." He said, clicking his heels together. Amann detected the faint trace of a German accent, but it was otherwise unnoticeable.

"What is it, Centurion?" Amann straightened up in his chair.

"Our sensor arrays have detected multiple hyperspace signatures moving toward the Narn homeworld. They are of Centauri configuration."

"Just as I thought they would do. How many ships?" Amann asked thoughtfully, his mind already working out a plan.

"We are reading a dozen battlecrisers. The battlecruisers appear to be carrying mass drivers, sir." The voice called over the intercom

"They intend to bombard Narn with mass drivers? Those are banned by every civilized power by treaty. Does Centauri arrogance know no bounds, thinking they can flaunt even basic war convention treaties?" Amann's voice reflected surprise at the news. The Alesians sometimes used orbital bombardment, but generally only against military targets in support of ground forces.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, it is obvious the Centauri are doing this to create terror in the Narn population. This act will be seen as monstrous by all of the major powers." Amann's eyes glinted. Janice knew that look all too well. He was planning something.

"What are you up to, Amann?" Her tone was one of amusement as Amann turned to face her.

"Well, if the Centauri are going to use mass drivers, how much political credibility will we gain with the major powers if we stop them before they could pull it off? We would be seen as heroes to the Narn, and have overwhelming favor with every other major power." Amann said, a wolfish grin plastered on his face. There was no mistaking the satisfaction in his voice.

"Interesting. It is all about image, isn't it?" Janice said.

"Of course, and that will also enable me to further challenge Psi Corps and expand the Empire with massive influxes of human telepaths. Millions of new Alesians." Amann leaned back in his chair.

"We might get new member worlds out of it, which will greatly enhance the power of the Empire." Amann turned and hit a button on his desk.

"AleHiComm, this is High Councilor Amann Adar. Prepare all available ships for deployment to the Narn system. I will depart aboard my flagship jumper." Amann clicked off the comm, not waiting for a reply.

"What will you do?" Janice said.

"Why the only action that will net me the most gain." Amann said softly, standing up and brushing off his armor. "I will take all of the Alesian ships to Narn, where the might of the Alesian Empire will annihilate the Centauri battlefleet."

* * *

Amann sat in the seat of his flagship jumper. He watched as the escorting Alesian ships gathered together, preparing to make the last jump to Narn. Robert sat next to him, his voice quiet as he spoke.

"Two cruisers, a dozen jumpers, and four interceptor fighters versus at least a dozen flagship grade battlecruisers. This will be an interesting fight." He murmured to himself.

"You are absolutely right. We are completely outmatched in terms of numbers and ship class. But not in technology. And that will be a decisive advantage against the Centauri." Amann said reprovingly. Robert nodded before replying.

"Yes sir, but will it be enough?" Amann swiveled in his chair and eyed the Legate. Robert was a good officer, but he lacked the confidence of fighting the odds. In time, this would change, but for now, Amann would be the one in overall fleet command.

"It will be more than enough. I've read their history, and know how they will act." Robert noticed that Amann seemed unconcerned with the odds against him. It mystified him to why this was so. Sure, Amann had technology that would rival the First Ones, but to completely ignore how outclassed they were, it surprised him. Amann turned back to the console and flicked a switch.

"Cruisers _Starfire_ and _Astria_, proceed to Narn. Jumpers and fighter group shall remain here until I give the command." If Robert was surprised before, he was astonished now.

"Sir, wouldn't that deprive us of all of our fighter cover? Shouldn't we-" Robert stopped as Amann held up a hand to silence him.

"Watch and learn, Robert." Amann hit the jumper controls and jumped with the cruisers. They exited a minute later in orbit above Narn, the reddish-brown world looking bleak as they orbited over the planet. Hails came up from the planet as Amann flicked a switch on.

"This is High Councilor Amann of the Alesian Empire. We are here to assist in the defense of your world. Your fleet is destroyed by the Centauri and they are on their way here even as we speak." Amann said calmly.

"We shall defend Narn against the Centauri. Prepare for battle." Amann noted the presence of only one Narn capital ship, the G'Quan-class cruiser hovering just at the edge of it's weapons range, the heavy fighters swarming around it in a protective formation. Amann frowned. He knew the main Narn fleet had been destroyed, but to see how bare the defenses were dismayed him. Fortunately, the defenses or lack of did not affect his planning. There was a squawk as the Narn ship acknowledged and turned away, its main weapons pointed outward in space.

Amann, appearing bored, hit a button. The jumper's cockpit lights went out as the cloaking device was engaged, hiding the flagship jumper from view. Only an extremely lucky shot would find the hidden jumper.

"Now what?" Robert asked.

"We wait." Amann answered simply.

* * *

Two hours later, Robert watched the screen, the dots of the Centauri battleships grew closer with each second. The battle would commence any moment. Amann leaned back in his chair, typing on the console as he waited.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Amann said conversationally. "The strategies, the planning, the predictions all coming to a head. It never gets old." He said with a laugh.

"I suppose not." Robert managed to get out, his nervousness showing through. Amann listened to the various communcations coming through the Alesian fleet.

"The majority of war consists of hurry up and wait. The wait always kills you, for it causes one to doubt himself." Amann spoke, all amusement gone from his voice. He sounded thoughtful.

"When you are in battle, it takes on a rhythm of its own. To me, battle is like complex music. It has themes and crescendos, the clash of the instruments. It has a beginning, climax, and end." Amann gestured to the window.

"Right now, the first act is commencing. I am the maestro. This battle is of my design, and I will play it perfectly." Amann flicked a switch on the intercom.

"_Starfire_, this is Amann. Position yourself one thousand kilometers forward of your current position. _Astria_, yaw thirty degrees, forward guns pointing toward predicted Centauri jumppoints. When they exit, fire ion cannons but withhold drone salvoes until I give the order." Amann waited for the acknowledgement before turning off the intercom.

Robert watched as several jump points formed in the distance, the visuals magnified. The two Alesian cruisers immediately opened fire, the ion cannon bolts shooting out in a constant stream. The first Centauri battlecruiser was blasted apart, it's feeble Alesian- given shields and hull unable to withstand the power of Alesian weaponry. Centauri ships had powerful weapons and high maneuverability, but glass jaws in regards to their durability. The other battlecruisers exited hyperspace and began to fire back, the red bolts from their pulse cannons striking Alesian shields with blue flares of light. Amann seemed disappointed.

"Odd." He murmured to himself, running scans quickly.

"What is that?" Robert asked tersely as the ships furiously fired at each other. He witnessed another Centauri ship explode, the superstructure torn apart by the ion cannon fire.

"Wait." Amann said, frowning as his hands manipulated the controls. He leaned forward to study the screen. What he saw made him chuckle.

"Ah. Found them. Just as I thought." Amann said with satisfaction. He looked ecstatic. To say Robert was confused was an understatement.

"Sir?"

"Do you understand the principles of shield technology, Robert?" The question seemed random to Robert, but he decided to play the game and answer.

"Yes. It creates a barrier of energy as I understand it, shielding ships from weapons fire and other things." Amann frowned at the answer.

"In the most basic sense yes, it is an energy field. I do not ask the question lightly. You see, I gave the Centauri the most basic shield technology. I am sure humans would have made shield technology possible within another century or so." A flash lit up the cockpit as a nearby Centauri fighter was destroyed in a firestorm of Alesian point defense lasers a few kilometers from the cloaked jumper.

"You see, those with shield technology can also use the field to cloak themselves from view and sensors. The same principles apply. I figured the Centauri would have studied my shield generators and came up with a practical cloaking device by now. I am not disappointed." Amann said with a smirk.

"I see." Robert said, understanding what Amann was saying, but not entirely sure what Amann was getting at.

"This was a trap for our forces by the Centauri. Londo was practical and heeded my warning. The battlecruisers are not the only Centauri forces at work. Observe. They should be decloaking right about…now." Amann pointed as a wave of shimmering appeared around the small Alesian cruisers, revealing a swarm of Centauri cruisers and battleships. Robert swore as the additional twenty plus Centauri ships began to fire at the Alesian cruisers, bracketing them with accurate fire as they surrounded the Alesian ships. He watched as swarms of Centauri fighters launched from their fighter bays, encompassing the Alesian cruisers in a cloud.

"Sir, even our ships cannot withstand a bombardment from more than thirty Centauri ships and their escorting fighters!"

"Yes, if the cruisers were to sit there like morons and simply take the punishment, the shields would fall. Eventually. Time for the counterstroke." Amann tapped a button on the comm.

"Jumpers and fighter groups, jump now and fire drone salvoes! _Starfire_ and _Astria_, open up with drones. Fire at will. Target all ships but this one. Only disable her engines and weapons." Amann watched as jump points formed up as twelve jumpers and four Alesian interceptor fighters exited hyperspace outside the Centauri lines, surrounding those that surrounded him. Yellow streaks of light flew in from the fighters, the drones seeking out the priority targets with impunity and impacted the enemy ships, blowing them apart as the drones swarmed in and out of the Centauri fleet, fighters and capital ships alike exploding. Robert shielded his eyes at the brilliant flares of light. He could feel the confusion and despair emanating from the surviving Centauri.

Out of the thirty plus Centauri ships, twenty-six were completely destroyed and the rest severely damaged, unable to continue the battle. The horde of Centauri fighters fared even worse, with all but a few lucky pilots dying instantly from the hundreds of drones fired by the Alesian ships in the flash of a single moment. What seemed like an easy victory over the tiny enemy fleet turned into a total and humiliating defeat as the Alesians picked off the last surviving ships, sparing no ships but the one Amann specified.

Robert turned toward Amann and spoke.

"How did you know this was a trap?" Amann raised an eyebrow at the question.

"I read Centauri military history, Legate." Amann lectured sharply. "When you read the military history of a species, you understand their war strategies. The Centauri heavily value tradition, and their tactics are sound, but inflexible. They are fond of laying traps for their enemies. I merely took advantage of that." Robert nodded in understanding. It was simple, once he thought of it. Amann studied the history of his enemies, learning the psychology and thought processes of who he would oppose. Amann then shifted his strategy accordingly, exploiting weaknesses and playing enemies like a fiddle, often manipulating them to do what he wanted. Amann had no favored strategy; only using what would enable him to win.

Robert knew that Amann took him along to make sure he learned this. He also knew he had a long time to go before he was proficient at commanding on his own, but he would get there. And to think he was a refugee a few months ago, on the run from Psi Corps. His life had certainly changed for the better. Every telepath rescued from the Psi Corps owed Amann their good fortune, and Robert knew the men and women in the fleet looked up to him and would gladly follow any orders. Amann's voice cut across his thoughts abruptly.

"Have legionnaires stand by in the cruiser fighter bays. They are empty and large enough to receive prisoners." Robert shook himself out of his trance and manipulated the control console.

"Is that why you spared that ship, Councilor?" He asked after it was done. Amann smiled.

"Yes. That ship has a group of Centauri nobles on board. Being a telepath has its advantages." Amann touched a switch.

"Beaming initiated. One hundred and forty seven prisoners. Cruisers are rather small." Amann said dryly.

"Take us back to Alesia. Tell the Narns I will meet with their representatives later to discuss diplomatic relations." He ordered, leaning back in his seat. The Alesian fleet turned away from the planet and entered hyperspace toward Alesia. It would be good to return home.

* * *

The cruisers arrived over Alesia within a few moments, pausing only to beam down the Centauri prisoners and the guards The prisoners were kept on the outskirts of the city in a makeshift stockade comprised of shielded fencing. Lord Refa patrolled the shielded enclosure that contained the Centauri prisoners. He sniffed in disdain, being shoved in next to a bunch of peasant soldiers. These Alesians had no idea who he was. He deserved better, being the leader of House Refa and the future emperor of the Centauri. It rankled to be treated like a commoner.

"Excuse me!" He shouted at the white armored soldier standing twenty feet from the fence. The legionnaire looked over in annoyance.

"What is it?" He growled at the Centauri noble.

"I want to speak with your leaders this instant! This is intolerable!" Refa insisted.

"You will wait until they have the time to see you." The telepath sneered.

"Are you aware of who I am? I am Lord Refa of the Centarum!" Refa shouted.

"I do not care who you are. You will shut up and wait or I'll make you shut up." The legionnaire raised a wrist blaster threateningly. Footsteps echoed behind Refa as a voice spoke.

"Perhaps it is best we do what he says, Lord Refa." Londo Mollari said to Refa, his eyes missing nothing. "I do not doubt they would execute us if they grew annoyed. These people do not respect titles or nobility."

Refa glared at his ally, but his instinct for self preservation won out over his arrogance. He was, at heart, a coward. Refa swallowed nervously before he turned away from the enclosure. He swore to himself that he would make the Alesians pay one day for their insolence. A cruel smile played about his lips. Yes, he knew how he could destroy these people who had humiliated him both politically and personally.


	16. Plans Within Plans

Author's Note: Sorry for the long no update. My life has been busy with college and work, and Eve Online has taken up way too much of my time. But I noticed this story was going too long without updating, so I decided to write one for you! I'll try to update as much as I can, and I intend to get an update for Golden Dawn soon.

Please leave reviews, and keep checking for more updates on Golden Dawn 2.0!

* * *

**Addition Into The Circle**

**Chapter 16: Plans Within Plans**

* * *

The room was quiet, somewhat subdued. Bester stood off to the side, the emergency meeting of Psi Corp's leaders and administrators having been thrown together in a hurry. News had spread fast of the now revealed Alesians. It had sent many governments into a panic once it was revealed how powerful their technology really was, and at the center of it all was the most powerful telepath the Psi Corps had ever encountered. Amann Adar was an enigma to them, and his power was immense. Bester had narrowly escaped the destruction on a shuttle, but he watched as the other shuttle was swatted out of the sky, and the surge of telekinetic power could only have come from Amann.

His thoughts were interrupted as Derek Baluco, the current director of Psi Corps, stood up and called the meeting to order.

"Let us give a moment of remembrance to Peter Kaufman for his bravery." Bester bowed his head. Kaufman was the assistant director of Psi Corps stationed on Mars. He had been in charge of the base on Syria Planum, and he was killed by Amann when his shuttle crashed.

The moment passed quickly as Baluco sat down, scanning the room with his eyes.

"The first order of business. Syria Planum. I saw the reports of the damage to our base. It will take a minimum of three years to rebuild due to the radiation caused from the reactor going critical." He paused for a moment.

"We know that Amann is in charge of freakishly powerful technology, and coupled with his psychic might, he is the single greatest threat to Earth since the Minbari." Silence greeted his statement for a moment before one of the lower administrators raised his voice.

"Surely not, he is just one man with a few stray followers." Baluco just looked at the administrator.

"I am afraid so. While he was in our custody, we learned much about him. He was even more powerful than initially predicted. And he defeated the Centauri invasion of Narn with only two ships, tiny ones at that according to our intelligence reports. We do not know what else he is hiding or what he is planning, but he must be stopped." Baluco looked around at the twenty or so people at the table with him. Many of them nodded in affirmation.

"In short, we must find a way to stop him. He is becoming a legend among rogue telepaths, and he is gaining enough political clout to challenge the Corps and possibly take over Earth. We must act now before he gains too much momentum. We…" A cough echoed throughout the room. Baluco glanced down the table at the man that just interrupted.

"Pardon me, sir. But would it not be easier to use what we learned to defeat this alien?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We learned so much just studying the subject. Genetic engineering, ways to enhance telepathic abilities. He was at least ten times stronger than a human, and we estimate he was also three to four times faster."

"Get to the point." Baluco interrupted, his patience at an end with the scientist.

"Yes sir. I believe we have enough data to possibly replicate the engineering involved. Mr. Morden and his associates were very helpful in that regard." The scientist smiled. "Even could challenge Amann and his rogue telepaths."

"Perhaps." Baluco said smoothly, his voice giving no hint of what he was really thinking. Another voice interrupted.

"Director, another thing to consider." This came from a balding administrator. He hesitated before Baluco gestured for him to continue.

"Sir, this could be a sign of what we always wanted. An order of super telepaths that would rule over the mundanes. These Alesians represent that."

"Yes, but they wouldn't be under Psi Corps authority. It would be run by an alien hostile to Psi Corps and to Earth. Do you want that?" The director shot back. The man remained silent before Baluco continued.

"No, we must find a way to undermine and defeat the threat represented by Amann Adar and these 'Alesians'. I want plans on my desk by tomorrow." The director stood up. The rest of the room stood up with him as he left the room. The Director of Psi Corps felt strangely confident, despite the obstacles to overcome.

* * *

Amann stood alone in the newly built Council Chamber. It was on top of a hundred meter tower, not a tall building by Alesian standards, but it was large enough for the infant Alesian Empire until it was able to massively expand. The Alesian turned to face the doorway, sensing four people heading toward him. Within a minute, the other four provisional Council members entered the room.

"Status of prisoners?" Amann asked as he took his seat, the others sitting down. Janice was among the group as she sat down.

"They are secure in the prisoner compound, with force fields and legionnaires on guard 24/7." One of the councilors said.

"Very good, Martin." Amann said, giving a nod. "We shall send them back to their government after they pay us a substantial ransom to get their nobility and leaders back, and with terms of neutrality to never act against Alesian interests again. They will also cede us pre-war Narn territory, since they cannot be stupid enough to resist. They must know what we are capable of." He said, trailing off as his mind ran possible scenarios.

"What happens if they resist?" Janice asked, curious to Amann's answer.

"The war would continue, and I would be forced to defend Narn's interests as well as Alesian territory. I would take preventive measures to prevent them from overwhelming us." Amann touched the controls on the chair as the lights dimmed, showing a map of the galaxy. The map gleamed off the white walls and floor in the darkened room, the galaxy shifted until it showed the local region.

"This is our current territory, along with Narn and their colonies." A wash of blue flashed across the shown sector, a relatively small dot compared to the larger empires in the region as Amann continued to speak.

"This is the same predicament that the Lantean Empire faced when it fought the Wraith ten thousand years ago. As you know from my records, the Lanteans lost the war over a century of fighting despite far superior technology. We lack people to effectively defend our territory and that of Narn, as small as it is. We only have several hundred people and a handful of ships to defend one spot. While I am confident in our ability to defeat a local attack, we cannot defend everywhere at once."

"So how do we defend the territories under our jurisdiction?" Martin asked.

"We could take advantage of our far superior hyperdrives and defend hotspots." Another councilor mused. Amann shook his head.

" No, we lose the initiative. We will not wait for our enemy to move. Our only chance lies in pre-emptive attack. I will strike Centauri shipyards and infrastructure, scatter the rest of their fleets to defend against rapid hit and run attacks. This will keep them off balance. Keep in mind that this is only if their Emperor rejects my terms." Amann said, trying to reassure the rest of the council. He knew a few of them did not always agree to his harsh view of reality, even though they respected him heavily for saving them. Trust humans to seek diplomatic solutions when violence was called for. Raw, naked violence has solved more conflicts in galactic history than any words or ink on a page. Treaties were meaningless without power to back it up. Amann knew the state of Cartagia's mind, and was fairly certain of the response that would be given. Oh, the Alesian would love peace, for it would give him much more time to quietly build his power base and stay out of mainstream galactic affairs, but the Centauri forced his hand.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Janice said. Amann's eyes met hers, giving her a small smile.

"We shall hope not. Status of Project Redeem?"

"It is nearly complete. The subject is fully grown, and is in the middle of memory transference, based on the files and memory transfers you provided. He should be awake in a few hours."

"Good. One of the few people I had a full set of memories for. I can only do this for a few notable Alesians, but it shouldn't be a problem for this one." Amann nodded as the others talked for a moment. He let it go on for a moment before he cleared his throat.

"I would like an update on the fleet under construction. The sooner we gain true capital ships, the more we can secure our territory and powerbase." Martin brought up an image from the satellites in orbit.

"At your request, we have prioritized ship building over industrial production until the first ships are complete. The _Angelan_ is 70% complete. We estimate another three weeks before she is ready for a shakedown cruise. The Aurora class ship _Alexis_ is nearly complete. She'll be ready to fly within the week. We have also three more escort cruisers completed within two weeks, freeing up the duty roster for cruisers _Astria_ and _Starfire_. The last ship to be completed in the first run will be the covert ops cruiser _Death Hand_." Amann pondered the information for a moment before nodding.

"Eight ships, two of them capital class and above. Excellent. Do we have the crews for the ships trained up?"

"We should have full crews for all of the ships besides the Angelan by the time they are completed. The 1st Legion is nearing the end of it's training program, the 2nd Legion is just starting from the new batch of refugees. "

"Yes, their training is nowhere near to Alesian standards, but it is all we have. In time, they can gain the full conditioning, but we need manpower more than elite training." Amann said thoughtfully. Martin turned toward the Alesian, looking directly at him.

"Councilor? About the refugees. Sir, we redirected resources to the completion of warships over infrastructure and industry at your request. But…"

"Yes? You may speak, Martin." Amann said, noticing the man's hesitation.

"We are getting more refugees than we can build shelters for. If we had the resources that are heading toward the ships, we could keep up the pace." Martin said. For a second, Amann's eyes glazed over in annoyance.

"I see. Unfortunately, I think we are going to need these warships. The sooner the better. As soon as the first run of ships are complete, you may take all of the resources you need to build up the city. The Angelan is the last ship to be completed, so you'll get the resources in three weeks." Amann said, a tone of finality in his voice. Martin glared at Amann, a flush of anger in his cheeks as he stood up.

"I don't think you get it, Councilor. The people are here because you promised them a better life, safe from Psi Corps. Your first priority is to them, not to your war machine!"

Amann stood up slowly, facing Martin as he raised a hand.

"I do not appreciate your disrespect, Martin. I am reforging an Empire, and that requires the strength to back up our ideals and protect what is ours. Power gains influence, and the more strength we have, the more refugees we can add to our numbers." The tone was as cold as the arctic wind, freezing Martin in his tracks. Amann glared daggers for a moment before he took a deep breath.

"But you are right. I chose you to be on this Council because you would do the right thing and say what is on your mind. The last thing I need in the Alesian Empire is sycophants in charge. If I wanted that, I would have recruited your politicians." Amann crossed his arms, thinking hard for a moment as he sat back down before speaking again.

"Move the people currently occupying quarters on the surface to the ships in orbit, give the quarters to the new refugees. They have plenty of space. I do not trust the new batch of refugees yet, not until I have gone through the camps to make sure Psi Corps isn't trying to infiltrate our ranks. On our ships, an operative could sabotage and cause severe damage."

"Yes, Councilor." Amann nodded.

"I think that is all, we shall meet in a few days time for status reports. Keep me updated and contact me if you need anything."

The Council got up and filed out, the sound of conversation filled the room and hallway as they walked along. A minute later, Amann was the only one left in the room. He remained seated for a few minutes before he walked out, heading down the hall to his destination. He was looking forward to Project Redeem waking up in a few hours.

* * *

_A few hours later…_

Amann walked into the lab, pushing past the scientists nearby.

"Is he ready?" Amann asked, looking at the lifepod. It was nearly drained of the various healing and growth solutions.

"Yes, Councilor. He will be out momentarily."

"Good. Leave us." The group of scientists traded a glance between themselves before they left the room. Amann watched as the pod finished draining, a cold smile curling in triumph as the pod hissed and cracked open. The man inside was naked, pale and dark haired. A scar ran down his cheek and forehead. Amann remembered how fond the Alesian in question was fond of it, refusing to let it be repaired despite complaining about it.

"Your attempts to deceive me are in vain. Arise and take your place once more….General." Amann said, his smile growing predatory.

The man stirred inside the pod. His eyelids flew open, revealing red irises and dark pupils. His eyes fell upon Amann, noting first that the Councilor was fully armored and armed. His lips curled in a cold sneer to match Amann's own smile as he stepped out of the pod.

"It was worth the attempt, Amann." The man said arrogantly.

"A good attempt it was, but you don't fool me for an instant. Welcome, General Hiel." Amann said, smirking in return.

"Such a warm welcome. And you don't even have the decency to clothe me." Hiel said. Amann indicated the bundle on the table next to him.

"Stop complaining. Your armor and clothing, complete with insignia and authorization codes. Alesia has great need of your services once more." Amann waited as Hiel walked over and opened the bundle, revealing a set of Alesian armor and robes. Amann crossed his arms as Hiel hurriedly dressed, adjusting the white cape and sword belt as he finished, the grenades clinking against the armor slightly.

"Walk with me, old friend." Amann gestured as the two Alesians walked along, their metal boots clanking on the ground. Amann began to talk, giving Hiel the rundown on the circumstances that brought him here.

"So I am a reconstructed person. Skirting our hatred of clones and walking a fine line. In other words, sounds just like you." Hiel laughed coldly as they ended up on a balcony overlooking the small city below.

"Well technically you aren't a clone, since there is no you in this dimension. You are an individual in every way, not some blank slate programmed like a machine." Amann said, turning to face Hiel as he leaned on the railing.

"I see. So why am I here?"

"I need a true leader with the experience to command my armies in the field. Who better than Alesia's oldest and most feared general? Your command abilities are on par with General Ayen, and your black operations skills significantly better. I can reconstruct him at a later date, as well as bring a few others along once I gather the memories needed for those people." The wind blew past them, chilling both men on the balcony with a burst.

"Interesting. What does Alesia require of me?" Hiel said.

"I have a mission for you. You will take my covert jumper. Keep this to yourself. Not everyone will approve of some of my darker actions that will be required in the days to come."

"I always keep it quiet. Usually by killing all of the witnesses." Hiel said, the gallows humor making Amann shake his head. Amann did all he could to keep a smile off his face.

"Keep the collateral to a minimum. You will assassinate someone for me. They are quickly becoming a pain that I will NOT tolerate." Amann then told Hiel what he wanted him to do, filling him in on what he knew of the target. Hiel's wolfish smile grew wider.

"He thinks highly of himself doesn't he? I love people like that, so convinced of their invincibility. They always act like weak cowards begging for mercy before they die." Amann shook his head at the statement.

"You only have authorization for the target to die. Do not kill anyone else unless you are seen."

"And the target? How do you want him to die?" The question seemed innocuous, but Amann knew that Hiel enjoyed killing megalomaniacs. Mostly, Hiel was professional in his work, but Amann decided to give him a treat.

"You may indulge yourself. Be creative. Leave the head unmarked for identification." Amann commanded, the tone of authority second nature to him as a former fleet captain in the Lantean fleet and as an Alesian High Councilor.

"It will be done. Ave Imperium."


End file.
